Resolution
by Vulthrize
Summary: Post ME 2. Garrus knows that by continuing his relationship with Shepard, they will both face difficult personal and professional challenges. What he doesn't know is that most of these challenges await them both upon the Normandy's return to the Citadel.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bioware. _

**Resolution**

**Chapter One: New Wounds**

Leave it to Shepard to try talking her way out of med bay.

Just an hour before, the Collector base had been destroyed, the Normandy had darted back through the Omega-4 relay, and Shepard had confidently told the Illusive man where to shove his scheming. Yet, for all the sticky situations she'd been able to wiggle her way out of, Chakwas had no intention of letting her sneak out of the med bay.

Despite the intensity of the mission, overall injuries were fairly minor, giving the good doctor ample time to inspect the commander. Shepard had dutifully arrived to medbay to check on the injuries of her crew, but clearly had no intention of getting poked and prodded herself. As she slowly backed away towards the exit, Chakwas snatched her arm, giving a rather matronly speech about how Shepard really had to take better care of herself. Garrus ignored Mordin as he scanned him over, and instead watched with hidden amusement as Shepard used all of her wiles to try and persuade Chakwas that she was fine, as well as pointing out that the Normandy was in dire need of repairs and that reports would need to be filed ASAP to the Alliance and the council. Finally, when Shepard realized she was getting nowhere, she called out to Mordin in a final plea.

"No no no," the salarian rambled. "Suit indicates burns from collector weapons as well as blunt trauma. Post mission physical a must." The doctor narrowed his bulged eyes with amusement. "Sorry, Shepard."

"Fine," groaned Shepard at last, her normally sturdy frame going limp in defeat. "Have your way with me, doctor." Chakwas wasted no time in dragging Shepard into the back room, closing the door abruptly behind them.

Mordin returned to his scans on Garrus, putting the device a little too close to Garrus' scarred face for comfort. "No serious injuries detected," the salarian proudly announced. "Still, would like to see what I can do about facial scars. Received more grafting equipment before mission. Want to give it a try."

The turian let out an exaggerated sigh. He and Tali had been by the commander's side throughout the mission, and the quarian had even received a small suit breach from a husk, yet despite the delicate nature of the quarian immune system she was just handed a few antibiotics and sent on her merry way.

"My scars stopped bothering me a while ago," the turian insisted, crossing his thin arms and doing his best to sound annoyed. "You must have more important things to do at a time like this."

Mordin shrugged casually. "Not really. Surprisingly few injuries. Grunt escorted crew back to Normandy without incident, Tali took medication before mission, second team received light resistance, Samara only fatigued from biotic barrier, Legion heat tolerant from vent hacking- "

Garrus lifted his taloned hand up in defeat. "Alright. I get the point."

Before laying against the cold white surgical table, Garrus glanced his blue eyes warily over at the back room where Shepard had been taken. It was surprisingly quiet back there. He could feel adrenaline trickle into his blue veins. "Hope Shepard is alright," he muttered.

***

The grafting procedure was relatively short, yet the constant jabbing at his charred skin caused more than a few grunts from the belligerent turian. After what seemed like days to Garrus, Mordin clapped his hands together, announcing in an unusually curt manner, "Done!"

Just as Garrus hoisted his sore, armored clad body up, the door to the back room finally opened. Chakwas strode out defiantly, a heavily bandaged Shepard plodding after. The commander's heavy armor had been removed, leaving nothing on but her black latex undersuit and bandages. "Now I am restricting you to you quarters for the next twenty four hours, commander," Chakwas chided. "Medigel can only do so much, and your wounds won't heal properly if you go running around the galaxy."

Shepard gave a sheepish look, waving her arms in tired defeat. "Yes _mother_. Just do me one favor and tell Miranda to plot a course to the Citadel for repairs and shore leave."

The doctor gave a devilish smirk. "Fine, I'll pass along the message. But I mean it, Shepard, you have to relax. Doctor's orders." She beckoned Garrus over with a wave of her gloved hand. "Garrus, would you please make sure Shepard gets back to her quarters without incident?"

In return, Garrus nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

Shepard hobbled towards the exit. _Had she been limping before? _The commander was apparently adept at shrugging off her injuries, or at least pretending like she could.

Warily, Garrus asked, "Need a hand?" He didn't like the large grin forming on Mordin's red face.

"I'm okay," Shepard replied, though the pure fatigue in her voice indicated otherwise. As she slowly exited the medbay, she abruptly stopped and exhaled in pain, hunching over slightly. "Wouldn't hurt so bad if Chakwas hadn't kept jabbing me," she groaned.

Hesitantly, Garrus wrapped his arm around her for support. The human wasted no time leaning on him. "Thanks," she replied quietly.

***

Garrus could feel his heart pound as they entered Shepard's quarters. Strange, he thought, that he should still feel so nervous even though they'd already… 'blown off steam.' He slowly released his grip on Shepard's small, soft body, allowing her to take a few steps into her room. Their time together went surprisingly well in his opinion, so why did he suddenly feel so hesitant?

To Garrus' embarrassed surprise, the commander took a step or to forward before nonchalantly unzipping her undersuit. "I should probably go…" he murmured, shyly glancing away. He had no idea if their time together was a one night thing, and he certainly did not wish to overstep his bounds. Perhaps the commander was too drugged to even to be thinking clearly.

Shepard quickly whirled around to face him. "Where are you going in such a rush?" she cooed, approaching him slowly. "I could use some help…getting _undressed_."

"Commander," coughed Garrus, uneasy. "Shepard, you need to rest."

The woman smirked, amused. Gently, she touched him, running her hand to one of the buckles on the side of his armor. "I'd sleep better if you were around." She quickly unclasped the buckle, causing the chestpiece of his armor to loosen slightly.

"Shepard..." Part of him was thrilled that Shepard wanted to continue their time together. He'd always respected her, even cared for her, and they had a unique chemistry whenever they interacted. But there would be…issues. Even though Shepard was not one to show her affections in public, it was going to be dreadfully obvious if Garrus started popping out of her room every morning at 0600. The crew would talk, the media would speculate. His father (and possibly the commander's mother?) would disapprove. And despite his reaction on Horizon, Garrus knew that Shepard's former lover, Alenko, would eventually seek her out. Things were going to get complicated.

Something in his deep blue eyes must have given something away, for Shepard's features softened. She beamed at him, giving a pure, genuine smile, unrestrained by her usual military composure. "Stay with me. Please." She spoke softly yet urgently, gliding her hand against the back of his neck. It hadn't taken her long to figure out it was a particularly sensitive spot, and sure enough the turian groaned slightly in response.

At that moment, Garrus knew he could not refuse her. Even when he disagreed with her, about Saleon, about Sidonis, he knew he could not defy her wishes. And, as he slowly removed his armor, he knew he never would.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Old Scars**

"Go buy yourself something pretty."

Shepard was nothing if not stubborn. It would still be eight hours until the captain could leave her quarters, but she was insisting that Garrus enjoy his shore leave.

As he paced uneasily about her room, Shepard sat casually on her couch, reading over her mission reports before submitting them to councilor Anderson. They had docked into the Citadel hours before, and most of the crew happily departed, save Joker and some of the engineers who were debugging the ship with EDI's help. Garrus had slipped out of Shepard's quarters that morning to assist, but compared to Tali and Legion, his tech knowledge was childish. Instead he recalibrated the weapon systems, but they were in surprisingly decent shape and the turian soon found himself bored. Despite his better judgment, he slipped into the elevator and returned to Shepard's quarters around noon. But not before Jacob ran into him. Damn these slow elevators.

"Garrus!" bellowed the soldier, unusually cheerful for such a normally reserved man. "Where are you off to?"

"I-"

The turian didn't even have time to respond. Jacob's large grin indicated he knew. It was probably that damned Yeoman's fault, always poking her nose into private matters. Or perhaps it was Mordin with his incessant blabbering. Or perhaps it was the crew members who noted Garrus' empty bunk the night before.

"So..." Jacob continued, crossing his arms with a damned annoying grin on his face. "With the commander, eh? Always knew she was a bit unconventional."

Garrus felt his blood heat up, though if it was from anger or embarrassment, he didn't know. "Shepard and I-"

Again the ex-Alliance soldier interrupted. "No need to explain. You two are tight, I get it."

Garrus exhaled, though it sounded more like a hiss. "Does _everyone_ know?"

Jacob beamed, showing his gleaming white teeth. "Everyone except Legion, maybe. Don't think geth...uhh…"Jacob shrugged his large shoulders, allowing Garrus to fill in the blanks. Apparently satisfied with harassing the turian, he confidently strode away.

Garrus tried to banish the memories of his previous encounter as the Commander continued talking, her methods of persuasion in full force. "It's as boring as a council debrief in here, and besides you need new armor. You still have a huge hole in it from the gunship, and that was two months ago!" She exclaimed the final sentence with such force she needed a moment to inhale and continue. "And I am _paying_ for you to get it fixed. You don't even have to worry about putting a dent in that vigilante salary of yours."

Garrus shook his head, amused. "I thought in human cultures the male purchases the gifts for the female?"

The commander smirked, approaching the turian slowly, deliberately. "You can make it up to me when you get back." She slipped her arms around his thin waist. Apparently gaining in confidence, Garrus gently glided his taloned hand along her jaw line.

"Alright, Shepard. I'll leave you be… for now."

A twinkle set into Shepard's eyes, and she gave him a large grin. It was good to see her happy again. After Horizon, she'd sunk into herself a bit, stopped smiling, stopped visiting him for a while. He'd missed her.

***

The Zakera Ward was bustling as Garrus dodged his way through the crowds to the armor merchant. The only shop in the area which sold turian armor was naturally owned by a grizzled old turian war veteran, who seemed more annoyed than pleased by the prospect of a customer when Garrus strode in. As the old man eyed Garrus' blackened scars and dented armor, however, his mandibles flared in amusement.

"Heh. What happened to you, kid? Get too frisky with a female krogan?" The merchant crossed his arms and approached Garrus slowly from behind the sleek black counter.

"Gunship actually," replied Garrus coolly. "Got anything decent?"

"Only the best armor from here to the Presidium. _If _you've got the credits for it."

Garrus slapped down the credit chip Shepard have given him. He had the feeling the gruffer he was with this merchant, the cheaper his prices would be. "What have you got?"

The old salesman gave a short snort. "Heh, I like you, kid. With this I can get you the latest upgrades available. Hardened plating, shield booster, the works. Any color preferences?"

Garrus couldn't resist. "Blue, if you've got it."

"Any your name?"

"Garrus Vakarian."

"Ah, you're Vakarian's kid, thought you looked familiar. In that case I'll give you a discount." He slapped Garrus' shoulder heartily, apparently ignoring the concerned expression written on Garrus' features. As far as Garrus knew, his father still lived on the Citadel, and he was planning to surprise him with a visit. It would give Garrus the upper hand for once, to catch his father off guard. That idea was probably blown to hell now.

"Come back in an hour, Vakarian, and your armor should be ready," barked the old turian before disappearing in the back room. Garrus shrugged and walked off.

He found himself wandering into the club Flux. He seated himself at the end of the bar, ordered some disappointing looking food and drink, and watched the scene around him. It was a respectable joint, he knew from his C-Sec days, but out of habit from Omega he tried not to look too conspicuous. Mostly humans and asari patrons, with a few turians and salarians sprinkled about. The volus owner greeted the gamblers upstairs as scantily dressed women danced below.

A news vid played next to him. Garrus couldn't hear parts of it due to the music, but he what he did hear caused him to perk his head up. "Citadel security baffled," it began, "by a turian named Sidonis… turned himself in claiming to be responsible... deaths of ten soldiers on Omega." Garrus shook his head, his mandibles flaring in a smirk. "Damn you Shepard," he mumbled, "always right about everything." As he stared down into his neon green drink, Garrus had to admit that life was pretty good for him. It felt like old times again, as if Shepard never died. His mind flashed back to the night before, in Shepard's quarters. Hell, it was _better_ than old times.

And it was at this moment, when the all seemed right with Garrus Vakarian, that he spotted Kaidan Alenko on the far side of the club.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks for the reads and reviews! The next chapter should have one confrontation I don't think has been written much about, so stay tuned!_

**Chapter Three: Inevitability**

Garrus clenched his fists, a weight sinking in his gut. Alenko was seated at a small table near the exit to Flux. It was impossible for Garrus to leave without being spotted.

"Dammit…" he cursed, turning his head back to his drink. He didn't want to risk eye contact, but didn't want to lose sight of the dark haired man either. He turned his head just enough to catch a glimpse of his former squadmate. At first glance Kaidan looked no different than on Horizon, except that he wasn't clad in his onyx armor. He wore clothes that were equally dark, however, reflecting his apparent mood. Lines creased the man's face, a scowl painted on his lips as the human gazed down at the table, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. Garrus wondered what was going through his mind. Hell, he knew. Shepard.

The turian grunted. He still souldn't believe Alenko's reaction on Horizon. He and Shepard had been inseparable two years ago. Garrus and Alenko made up Shepard's standard squad back then, and Garrus did not miss the way the two looked at one other in-between battles. How did Kaidan go from bedding her to accusing her of betrayal? He said that he'd once loved her back on Horizon, but Garrus was there. It was hardly a tender reunion with all of his barbed accusations. Shepard's association with Cerberus was unsettling, sure. Unlike Kaidan, however, Garrus knew (even before she could explain herself) that if Shepard joined Cerberus, it was for a damned good reason. And, naturally, there was a damned good reason. Shepard had the collector beam burns to prove it.

A fair-haired woman in a simple black dress entered the club and strolled happily towards Shepard's former lover. Alenko's tense face relaxed, and the two embraced. _Interesting,_ mused the former C-Sec officer, his recon training kicking in. Garrus tried to picture Shepard in a dress. He couldn't.

The woman readily sat down at Alenko's table, entwining her hands in his while talking eagerly about something. Alenko grinned softly, but glanced absently around the club as she continued talking. Garrus did his best not to appear noticeable as he casually sipped his drink. The turian could feel Kaidan's dark eyes scanning the room. Luckily, he did not hear the Alliance soldier call his name, and once again he watched the scene before him.

The blonde woman arose from their table and headed towards the dance floor, turning back towards Kaidan and beckoning him with a wave of her arm. The soldier shook his head, but after the woman returned and gingerly tugged at his arm, he relented. Now was Garrus' chance. He waited for the two to insert themselves onto the dance floor, and cautiously strode towards the exit. He envied Thane's stealth as he tried his best to blend into the crowds.

"Garrus?"

"Shit," muttered Garrus. He still remembered the sound of Kaidan's deep voice, though it was distinctly less reproachful than their prior encounter on Horizon.

The commander strode up briskly as the turian slowly turned his head towards him. "Garrus," he continued, shock evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

The turian debated for a moment how to reply. He wanted to sound angry, to make Alenko know just how he felt about him. After a moment, however, he conceded. They had been comrades once. "The Normandy's back for repairs and to brief the council," Garrus replied cooly. "We destroyed the Collector base."

Kaidan's dark brows furrowed, clearly puzzled. Garrus noted how his blonde acquaintance watched curiously from the dance floor, yet seemed to know not to approach. Kaidan continued. "You mean you traveled though the Omega-4 relay? How did you survive the trip?" There was alarm laced in his words.

Garrus shrugged casually. "We recovered a Reaper IFF from a derelict reaper and wired it into our ship. The Relay is apparently designed to only allow reapers and collector ships through."

Alenko's mouth was agape. He paused, asking his next words with palpable dread. "Where's Shepard?"

"She's fine, Kaidan," Garrus replied quickly, raising his arm in the air to halt the dark thoughts of the commander. "She got some injuries from the fight but nothing serious. Chakwas is keeping her confined to quarters just to be safe."

The alliance soldier exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. When he looked up at Garrus once more, he wrung his hands nervously. "Would you tell her to contact me?"

Garrus swallowed. "Yeah. Look, I have to go," he replied simply, before exiting Flux and heading deeper into the Wards. Garrus picked up his armor wordlessly. Apparently his grave expression was signal enough to the old turian merchant to keep quiet. He walked back to the Normandy with unusual trepidation. The time had finally come to bring up the once subject which Shepard had made perfectly clear was off limits. Kaidan.

***

Garrus found an unusual scene when he entered Shepard's quarters. The young commander was seated at her desk, but was hunched over, her arms splayed over the length of the tabletop and her head supported by a small pile of datapads. Her eyes were shut, her muscles were relaxed, and she was breathing softly. She had worked herself to sleep.

It was odd to see Shepard so… vulnerable. The commander always appeared attentive and alert when on duty, and yet here she was, passed out at her desk. His body urged him to touch her, comfort her even, but he refrained, pacing about the room instead.

Garrus was with her on Horizon. He had personally seen her reel when Kaidan left her without even looking back. When Garrus tried to console her on the shuttle ride back to the Normandy, Shepard had tensed as if physically wounded, replying in an unusually soft tone "Please don't." He remembered how she went stoically up to her quarters after the mission, remaining there until the following morning. He remembered how her face was stone the following day. She had recovered since then, like he knew she would, but he hardly wanted to dredge that pain up again.

At that moment, Shepard groaned slightly, stirring. This caused the datapads she had been resting on to clang as they collided with one another, further waking her. Slowly, she lifted her head, her hair in unusual disarray. Almost immediately she sensed Garrus' presence, and swiveled her chair to face him. "Hey there," she mumbled, grinning lazily.

Garrus approached slowly, bringing his hand to her shoulder. "Hey," he replied softly, "I didn't mean to bother you."

It didn't take long for a mischievous twinkle to enter her eyes. "You know, a girl could get used to waking up next to you," she said, tilting her head to his hand.

Garrus looked away. He knew that it could be their last few moments together romantically, but he had to tell her about Flux. Slowly he drew his arm away, staring sheepishly at the ground. Shepard reacted instantly.

"What's wrong?" She quickly stood up.

He shook his head. "I…ran into Kaidan. He was at Flux, meeting with a woman. He wants to talk to you."

He watched her reaction intently. Her eyes widened for a moment, her mouth agape. He silently hoped her expression wasn't a sign of human jealousy concerning this 'other woman'. She brought her hand to her heart. "God Garrus, I'm so sorry." She took a step forward, but Garrus backed away.

The turian had been practicing what he was about to say, so he blurted it out before she could continue. "Shepard, I know you two were close once, and I don't want to get in your way." He felt sick saying it. "I realize neither of us committed to anything, and that… being with me won't be easy. Whatever you decide, Shepard, I'll be here." At least by giving her an out, they could remain friends regardless of who she chose to pursue. He knew that he wanted to remain here, on the Normandy, to whatever end.

The woman before him was still. _What was she thinking? _Her mouth cracked open, but she did not reply right away. The silence was torture. Finally she spoke, locking her eyes with his as she approached him. "What if I told you that I didn't want to be with Kaidan anymore? What if I told you that I wanted to be with you?"

Garrus' mandibles flared in surprise. He took a step towards her, closing the gap between them. "Are you sure about this Shepard?"

She smiled warmly. "Yes Garrus, I'm sure." She paused for a moment, tentatively. "…Are you?"

The turian's blue eyes glowed in some unnamable emotion. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her petite frame, and embraced her tightly. "Definitely," he replied simply.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thanks for everyone who is reading and reviewing, I appreciate it! I hope you enjoy!_

**Chapter Four: Past Rivals**

It was going to be a good day. Garrus could feel it, even in the metal belly of the Normandy.

Garrus and Shepard hadn't left her cabin since the day before save to sneak a quick meal and let Chakwas remove Shepard's overly complicated bandaging. The young commander looked a bit strange, with blotches of flushed, burned skin scattered about randomly as well as an occasional black bruise here and there. Not that Shepard acted remotely tired or wounded that _night_. Garrus was fairly sure that she hadn't had much experience with intimacy before Kaidan, being so devoted to her military career. And yet she was quite skilled at discovering what made the young turian tick. He had a hard time keeping up.

Shepard wrinkled her nose as she read her morning messages, causing Garrus to stop reveling over their ecounter the night before and focus on the present. "Anderson wants to meet with me," she lamented, her hair bobbing as she shook her head. "He wants to discuss what evidence I have on the collectors and reapers the best way to present it to the rest of the council. I'm sure he's going to be thrilled when he finds out all we have are a few scans, Mordin's samples, and a reaper IFF. Dammit, it's not enough."

She hastily turned the console off, sighing. "And, to top it off, Kaidan will be there too."

To her surprise, her new lover did not even flinch, "You'll do just fine Shepard," he said gently, offering her his hand to lift her. She took it, and he easily boosted her towards him.

She raised her brow as she looked up at the tall turian. "You're… not concerned?"

He ran his scaled hand across her cheek. He recalled how her lips had gently touched him the night before. He could sense her longing for him in those lips. "Not anymore."

***

Garrus strode confidently beside Shepard as they headed towards the Presidium embassies. His day would be significantly less stressful than his new human mate; his only task was to look into purchasing new personal firearms for the crew since many of their guns had been destroyed or taken when the Collectors had boarded. It was a peripheral concern to Shepard, an errand meant more to occupy the turian than anything else.

They walked side-by-side with purpose. It felt so right, Garrus mused, being by her side once more. He didn't regret what he had tried accomplished on Omega, but in the end he knew that the residents there had long since forgotten about 'Archangel'. That festering rock would go on, anarchistic and ruthless as ever, despite his efforts and the efforts of his now deceased squad. On the other hand, he had only been reunited with Shepard for a few months, but already they'd managed to put a permanent end to the collectors, and the reapers were next.

Garrus could feel anxiety pulse through his heart as they ascended the stairs to the embassy offices. He had heard on the news vids that his old C-Sec boss, Pallin, had since retired, yet his dark, ominous office remained. Damn did he hate him. Back in his C-Sec days he had dreaded making this trip to his office, even when Garrus had successfully solved a case or busted a criminal. Pallin was still a stern, rigid ass, even on his good days.

Shepard paused outside Anderson's office. Garrus could hear her breath quickening, one way he could tell that the commander was nervous or uncertain. She turned and looked up at him, a frown creasing her otherwise smooth features. "I'd rather fight a reaper army naked than go in there," she groaned.

Garrus laughed lightly. "Now that's something I'd like to see." The turian yearned to physically show her his support, but the Presidium was alive with people, and he hardly wanted to cause speculation. Instead, her merely clasped one of her hands in his, a gesture that appeared like a simple handshake, yet meant so much more. "I'm not going far, Shepard. The weapons dealer is in the Wards, but I can be back in an hour."

She squeezed his scale hand. "I'm not sure how long this is going to take, especially with Kaidan there." She rolled her eyes. "He's going to want to talk."

To her surprise, Garrus chuckled. "Yeah, he always did have an opinion after every damned mission." His voice lowered, meaningfully. "I'll be nearby if you need me, just send me a message to my communicator." He paused thoughfully, his eyes looking through her, to some unidentified memory. "Besides, this place is pretty boring when you're not around."

Shepard smirked, glancing down at their interlaced fingers and then back up at him, warmth radiating from her eyes. "So is that why you _really_ left the Citadel, Garrus? You missed me?"

"Heh. Something like that, Shepard."

It was at that moment that Garrus' day would take its drastic turn. For, across the hall, someone from Garrus' distant past emerged from Executor Pallin's old office. And it wasn't Pallin.

"Garrus Vakarian?!" A strikingly familiar feminine voice called out.

Garrus did not recognize the female turian at first with a C-Sec uniform on. He had only seen her in the dark, drab colors of the turian military. Tabal Lacker glided out into the hallway, approaching Garrus with intention. She always had moved in a languid, eel-like manner, even on duty, causing many of the males on their ship to turn their heads. "Garrus Vakarian," she said, pleasure leaking from her voice. "I was certain you'd never show your face in civilized space again after I beat your sorry hide in that tiebreaker."

_Tiebreaker? _Shepard released her hand from Garrus', realization dawning on her features. _This was the turian woman from his "sparring" story?_ She looked up into Garrus' eyes, probing for the answer. He gave her a knowing look. Oh yes, it was her.

Garrus took a step back, flustered, as the female approached, her body inches away from him. Shepard frowned. The commander was sadly ignorant on turian culture, but had to imagine that his old acquantaince was getting too close for Garrus' comfort.

"Tabal?" asked Garrus, dazed. "What are you doing in C-Sec? I thought you were still in the military."

The female ignored his statement. "Nice scars. Only you _could_ pull these off," she said, hovering her hand teasingly above the charred side over his face. "You look good Garrus."

Shepard clenched her white teeth. Not only was she being ignored, but her newest lover was being courted before her eyes.

Perhaps Garrus could feel Shepard's obvious tension, as he once again took a step away from Tabal. "Tabal, allow me to introduce Commander Shepard of-"

"Ah yes, the human specter," the turian female quickly interrupted, deigning to only gave Shepard but the briefest glance. Shepard got the impression it wasn't turian resentment that cause Tabal to look away, but instead heightened interest in Garrus. She returned her gaze to him immediately, giving him a playful push with her hand. "I do believe you still owe your victor a drink. Rumor down in C-Sec is that you're on an ex-Cerberus vessel. This I _have_ to hear."

Garrus cocked his head. "C-Sec has been keeping tabs on me?"

Tabal crossed her arms and cocked her hips, reacting as if he'd said something completely brainless. It was the same gesture she'd given him years back whenever he had argued with her. They both had been weapons specialists of equal rank, but naturally Tabal was convinced she knew the best way to program, calibrate, and utilize every aspect of the weapons systems. That damn gesture had annoyed him to no end, and it often added the fuel necessary to intensify their disputes.

"Your father is still active in C-Sec," she replied indifferently. "He had Bailey in the Zakera Wards monitor your comings and goings. Wait till I tell him I caught you in the _flesh_." Garrus felt his face flinch. The idea that Tabal and his father had been in contact with each other, even just on a professional level, was Garrus' own personal hell.

He turned helplessly to Shepard, the unfortunate outsider in this encounter. The commander tried her best to look supportive, her face relaxed and her eyes shimmering at him. After all, she thought, it might be good for Garrus to spend some time with his own kind. Shepard was fairly certain if the roles were reversed and she was the only human on a turian vessel, she would have cracked three times over by now. She briefly grabbed Garrus' arm, the only show of support she could give in public. She quickly pulled away, straightening herself out as she often did before giving her crew a speech. "I've got to go. Meet me in three hours with your report," she said, assuming her cool military tone, before turning and entering Anderson's office. It was the best she could do to give Garrus an out later. And besides, she wasn't sure she was comfortable with Garrus spending more than a few hours with his old combat partner.

Tabal growled, amused. "Looks like it's just you and me again. Come on, I just finished giving my report to Executor Chellick and I'm on my break. You're having lunch with me." There it was again. Tabal's sense of entitlement hadn't changed in the slightest. Garrus would have liked to believe that he had changed, evolved, since his time in the military. Tabal, however, was just as he remembered her.

Garrus shook his head. "My commander has ordered me to secure new firearms for our ship."

Tabal was as stubborn as ever. "I know a little place in the Zakera Ward that won't put you behind schedule, and that Shepard woman never has to know. Besides, if it's true that you've been on a human vessel for the past few months, then you could use some _real_ food." Garrus must not have looked convinced, so she promptly changed tactics. "Come on, aren't you curious what C-Sec has been up to since you left? What your _father_ has been up to?" Oh yes, Tabal may have been turian, but her indecent love of gossip rivaled that of Kelly Chambers.

She had caught him. Garrus did want to know what had since happened to both Sidnois and Harkin. But, most importantly, he wanted to know what his father was planning. So, against his better judgement, he agreed. "Alright, Tabal, you win."

She placed her hand upon Garrus' chest. "Don't I always?" She then sauntered off, knowing that Garrus would follow.

Some part inside of him made him wish to curse at the arrogant female and strike off on his own. But for now, she could be useful. For now.

Sluggishly, he followed. So much for it being a good day.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thanks to all of my reviewers! It's almost Poppa Vakarian time... Poor old Garrus, he can't catch a break ;)_

**Chapter Five: Reunions**

"Are you alright, Shepard?"

Councilor Anderson approached the commander slowly. He was not an emotional man, but his tone wavered in concern.

The woman steeled her mind, doing her best to shrug off Tabal's lustful movements towards Garrus. After all, this was _Garrus_ she was thinking about. The same Garrus who had dropped everything to join her cause not once, but twice. The same Garrus who'd forsaken taking his revenge on Sidonis for _her_. The same Garrus who had touched so fondly the night before. Certainly Garrus had hardened himself these past few years, but his core… his honesty, his trust, his support, had never faltered. As Shepard exhaled deeply, she allowed these memories to briefly flow through her.

Her eyes then sharpened, returning to the present. "I'm alright, sir, just a little burned around the edges."

Anderson smirked, eyeing a particularly flushed burn encircling her neck. "You look no worse for wear Shepard. Come in," he beckoned.

There Alenko was, sitting awkwardly opposite of Anderson's ivory desk. He arose hesitantly, his mouth slowly parting as he looked Shepard over. "Commander," he began slowly, uncertainly. She saw but the briefest flicker of pain pass his eyes as he examined her. "It's good to see you again."

Shepard raised her brow. She knew her reaction would be the catalyst for their future encounters. She took the neutral course. She extended her arm out in a curt, business-like manner. "Alenko," she said simply, her voice camouflaged of any emotion. She excelled at that. He clasped his hand in hers, yet that handshake lasted a few moments too long.

Anderson, apparently unaware of the sparks of tension, seated himself at his desk, as both commanders did the same, taking their seats side-by-side. At least Shepard wouldn't have to face Kaidan this way, she mused.

Anderson clasped his large hands together, leaning on his desk. "Shepard, I called this meeting so we can prepare ourselves before you brief the council. I'm on your side, but they won't be easily swayed, especially about the reapers. I've read your inital report. Is it true you're no longer with Cerberus?"

Shepard smirked. The same smirk she always displayed when she was about to say something clever, Kaidan reflected, watching her askance. "You're correct," she began. "As my report says, the Illusive man wanted to save the collector base I raided so he could have their technology for himself. That base was an abomination, and he couldn't be truested, so I blew that place to hell."

Anderson rubbed his chin, though his features relaxed slightly, meaning he was pleased. "I see. This is good news, Shepard. If nothing else, we can probably get you back operating in council space as a specter. As far as the reapers go, however, we'll need to go over your entire story to make sure the council can't outright dismiss you, beginning with how exactly you came to work for Cerberus."

Shepard swallowed. This wasn't exactly how she wanted to explain herself to Kaidan, but she had no choice. She could feel her muscles twitch. No, she wasn't worried that Kaidan would disapprove. She was afraid of the ramifications if he _did_ approve.

She took a deep breath. "As you know, I awoke a few months ago in a Cerberus base. They'd apparently revived me somehow, but the base was under attack while I was recovering. I met up with two of their operatives, who took me to the Illusive Man. He claimed to have brought me back because of the missing colonies in the Terminus systems and asked me to investigate."

"I agreed only to check out one of the missing colonies, Freedom's progress, nothing more. I got to the colony after the attack and found a quarian named Veetor there who had managed not to get abducted. He had pieced together footage of the attack, and it showed the Collectors abducting the colonists."

Kaidan, almost predictably, interjected. "How did you know Veetor wasn't a tool of Cerberus'?"

Shepard gave him the briefest fleeting look. She didn't wish to appear like she held a grudge from Horizon, but she didn't particularly want to see his reaction. "Tali, my old crewmember, was there with her own quarian squad, to find Veetor. They said he went to Freedom's Progress for his pilgrimage, so it appeared that Cerberus hadn't planted him. Besides, the Cerberus operatives seemed as suprised by his footage as I was."

Shepard glossed over the rest, almost casually. "I then began assembling a team and looking for ways to pass through the Omega-4 relay to destroy the collectors. I didn't trust the Illusive Man, but for the time being he was a useful source of information and recourses, so I stayed with Cerberus. Using a reaper IFF from a derelict reaper, we eventually made it through the relay. It was a graveyard of ships, as well as the location of both the collector ship that destroyed the Normandy One and a collector base."

She paused, knowing that the next few details were the important, controversial portions that Anderson was so concerned about relaying to the council. "The collectors were harvesting the colonists in some kind of reaper reproduction, constructing what looked like a human reaper. Our molecular data shows that the collectors were genetically modified protheans, working for the reapers. As I said, I destroyed the ship and the base, thoroughly pissing off the Illusive Man, and severing my ties with Cerberus. That's why I am here now. The reapers are coming, I'm sure of it."

Anderson was silent. Shepard bowed her head down slightly, not daring to look at Kaidan. She could feel his dark eyes upon her, though she could tell without looking that his angry glare on Horizon had since fizzled. She was afraid of what emotions she would see swirling in his gaze.

Slowly Anderson spoke, "For better or worse, we have to present this to the council. Do you have _anything _that we could use as evidence?"

Shepard locked her gaze with his. "I have ship scans of the collectors, their ship, and their base," she began. "If nothing else, it should prove that the collectors were indeed protheans, and that they were harvesting humans to build some kind of super structure. One of my scientists, Mordin, has some collector samples, though I'll admit we were a bit too busy to sample the reaper. Lastly, we've got the reaper IFF. I don't know if we can prove that it's reaper technology, but I can say that it's damned advanced."

"I can also present my report on Horizon to corroborate that the collectors were behind the colony abductions," Kaidan added gently. It was the worst tone of voice he could have used. Though his words were professional, his voice was the same soft pitch he'd used the night before Ilos.

Anderson sighed, diverting her worries to the problem at hand. "Alright, Shepard, let's go through this evidence piece by piece…"

***

Tabal was a swift creature. She easily dodged the Zakera Wards' crowds, finally turning into a dark cove. The restaurant she entered bore the rigid, sharp lines that defined turian architecture, a decent reflection of turian culture in general. Harsh, firm.

Garrus entered slowly, a crowd of turian stares boring into him. Though surrounded by his own kind, Garrus felt like an outsider, unwelcome. Tabal had already seated herself in a booth in the far corner of the room, waving her finger at him teasingly. He paused for a moment, his instincts urging for him to leave. _To hell with Tabal_. But, Garrus reminded himself, his instincts hadn't served him well in the past, so he gradually seated himself across from her thin, tall frame.

She leaned back against her seat, pleased. "Garrus Vakarian," she said, cooing his name, "I'm glad we got to meet again. I've thought a lot about you these past years."

Why this sudden interest in him? He was certain that he wasn't her top choice when it came to mates. A challenge, perhaps?

The waiter came, serving a viscous beverage Garrus hadn't had in ages. He savored it before replying, knowing that he likely wouldn't have it again anytime soon once he returned to the Normandy. "I find it hard to believe that you would think of me," he replied slowly, "considering the two of us were never exactly friends back in the military." He shrugged. "Rivals maybe, but not friends."

Tabal leaned forward, eagerly. "If I remember correctly, and I do, you were quite the loner back then, except when it came to two things. Questioning our superior officers, and talking to me."

Garrus snorted. "We argued more than we talked." He shook his head. "Come on Tabal, you want something from me, don't you? You always did want something back then. It's why we used to fight."

Tabal leaned in, her hands crawling above his. Garrus froze. "I'd like to show you a good time." She tilted her head, as if she were posing. "You've been trapped on a human vessel, and I think you could use some… _turian _attention."

Garrus pulled back, but Tabal didn't seem offended. He'd heard that she enjoyed the chase. Fraternization was a serious offense in the turian military, but even Garrus was aware of the rumors surrounding Tabal's escapades. She was the ideal turian to many males: confident, tenacious, and powerful. Garrus supposed for a moment that the same could be said about Shepard. In Shepard's case, however, she could also be humble, patient, and tender, traits that were alien to Tabal. Perhaps Tabal's attitude could be attributed to prevailing turian culture, but it didn't change the fact that Garrus didn't like it.

Garrus promptly changed the subject to the only topic that Tabal would gladly substitute for flirting. Gossip. "So what's been going on at C-Sec?"

A gleam passed through her eyes. "Harkin's doing hard time. Ends up he's been using his powers at C-Sec to erase people's files, giving them new fake identities. He's doing ten years in a penal colony."

Garrus looked beyond her, his mind churning. He was glad Harkin was sentenced, but he somehow doubted Harkin would find a conscience in prison. The man was scum, plain and simple. Yet, he knew that Shepard would argue that alive he could be useful. Maybe C-Sec could wring more information out of him yet, like the names of those he'd helped or those who had worked for him. Harkin was weak, and it probably wouldn't take long behind bars before he'd be willing to open his big mouth. He trusted Shepard's judgment on this.

"And we had this Sidonis guy turn himself in, claiming he killed several people on Omega. We hardly have jurisdiction in the Terminus systems, though, so we set that poor bastard free."

He felt anger flush his face. If anyone in this damned universe deserved to die it was him. That was always Garrus' initial reaction upon hearing his name. And yet, after the anger faded, questions sprang into his mind. Was he threatened, beaten, tortured into telling the mercs the location of his base? If so, the he was still a coward, but…

"And then there's your father."

Garrus leaned in. He couldn't hide his interest. Naturally that was the moment their food came, so he did his best to wait patiently. It looked delicious. He hadn't missed much of anything about the Citadel, but the food was the exception. Tabal must have noticed, and her voice oozed with pleasure. "See what you've been missing?"

Garrus tried to resume the subject. "So what about my father?"

He had called her bluff. "I don't know much," she admitted, "You know better than I how private he is. What I can tell you is that he's been monitoring communications in the Terminus systems for over a year. Also, he asked Captain Bailey a few months ago to report whenever your ship docked in the Citadel and what exactly you and that Shepard human were up to while you were here." Garrus clenched his hand into a fist. The thought of his father spying on him was one thing, but Shepard... That was none of his damned business.

For a few sacred moments, there was silence between the two as they ate. But Tabal wasn't through with him. She hastily finished her meal then slid into Garrus' booth before he could react. The seat was meant for one, yet she hardly minded draping her body over Garrus', as her arms slithered around him. "So Garrus, do tell why you'd willingly work on a _human_ vessel, and a Cerberus one at that. They hate our kind. It must be lonely…"

He leaned backwards, trying in vain to make some kind of space between them. "I did it for Shepard. I owe her a lot," he answered gently.

Tabal huffed. "I don't know what you see in that _human_. You should stay here. Executor Chellick would love to have you back in C-Sec, and I'm sure your father would be pleased. Not to mention... well... I wouldn't mind either." Her hands found their way to his neck, and she brushed her thin fingers across.

Garrus shuddered in response and immediately pushed away as if he'd been burned. "Tabal, stop. Please."

Her mandibles opened in shock. Tabal was not one to be rejected. "What the hell is wrong with you Garrus?!" she yelled, anger seething in her words. Some of the patrons turned their heads.

He replied softly, "I'm with someone. I'm sorry, I should have told you."

She snarled. "Don't insult my intelligence. How could you possibly have a mate if you've been serving on a _human_ vessel?"

Garrus could actually feel the explosion that his answer would cause, but he had to say it. He didn't want to hide it anymore. "It's Shepard. I'm with Shepard."

Tabal immediately stood, backing away as if he were a pestilence. "You're screwing a _human_??" She laughed bitterly. "Oh, wait until your father hears _this_ one!"

"Tabal!"

"You always were a fool, Garrus." She easily slipped into the Zakera crowds. Garrus threw a credit chip down and fled the restaurant, away from the judging glares of the turian patrons.

His heart pounded, his sweat ran cold. He had to see his father before Tabal did. He took out his communicator, leaving Shepard a brief, vague message. The last thing he wanted was for Shepard to seek him out. He had to confront his father alone.

_Shepard,_

_Something has come up. I'll be back late._

_-Garrus_

***

Shepard left her meeting with Councilor Anderson weary and irritated. Anderson was patient and understanding, but in the end, she knew what he thought: Her evidence wasn't enough to convince the council of the reapers. Well, it was too damned late to go back to the littered debris of the collector base and try to sample it now. She walked briskly down the hallway, her boots clattering noisily against the floor. She was too angry, too fatigued to deal with Kaidan. She didn't want to blatantly blow him off, but she needed a decent excuse to talk to him later. _Garrus. Maybe he can help__._ Shepard opened her communicator and promptly halted, perplexed that Garrus had already sent her a message.

_Shepard,_

_Something has come up. I'll be back late._

_-Garrus_

A wave of nausea swept through her. What could have come up unless… Tabal? Were they…? No, it was impossible. Not Garrus. A lingering chill pulsed through her.

Kaidan was behind her, as she knew he would be. "Shepard… do you have time to talk?"

Shepard closed her eyes. This was too much. Slowly, she turned to face him. "Yes," she said slowly, "I have time to talk."


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I'm considering writing a short story on how Garrus transitions from returning to C-Sec to leaving for Omega, so you'll have to excuse me if I'm a bit vague on the subject when he's confronting his daddy ;) Thanks for all the feedback!_

**Chapter Six: Family**

"Where's my father?" Garrus hadn't used that particularly sharp tenor since his interrogating days.

Captain Bailey looked down sheepishly. "He left early, only works part time now. He probably went home."

Garrus pressed his advantage. "Do you know why he's been keeping tabs on me and Shepard?"

Bailey shook his head, his face twisted in guilt. "He never said. I'm sorry kid, it was nothing personal. Your father recommended me for my last promotion. You know how C-Sec is. I owed him a favor."

Bailey was right; he knew how C-Sec worked. Promotions were just as much about knowing the right people as being a skilled officer. Garrus had risen through the ranks faster than usual. He had no doubt that his father had something to do with that.

Without deigning a response to Bailey, he turned to find the nearest transport to the Presidium. His father had received many privileges as a high ranking officer, one being that his apartment was situated in the heart of the Presidium, inside a colossal skyscraper. Usually living on the Presidium was reserved for rich entrepreneurs, ambassadors, and politicians, but high ranking C-Sec officers were also offered space at a considerable discount. Garrus had moved there with his father when he was just a boy. He remembered being in awe at the massive apartment complex, the spacious living quarters furnished with the latest in domestic technologies. Not that his father condoned such lavishness.

Though his father's apartment was near the top of the complex, the elevator took mere seconds before seamlessly gliding to a stop. Garrus huffed, for once annoyed that the elevator wasn't slow enough to allow him to collect his thoughts. What the hell was he even going to say to his father? How could he possibly tell him about Shepard without all hell breaking loose?

He'd last seen his father just before he left for Omega. Garrus had resigned C-Sec a second time. They argued. His father threw Shepard's name into it. Garrus had walked out.

Ironic that he was returning to confront his father _because_ of his relationship with Shepard.

Slowly, almost painfully, he hit the buzzer by the door. A brusque voice answered simply, "Come."

Garrus cursed beneath his breath, and entered through the smooth white doors.

***

Only two entrances down from the very restaurant where Garrus had dined with Tabal, Shepard and Alenko stood at a small café. Shepard felt physically ill, ordering some kind of Asari soup as a means to soother her nausea. As Kaidan ordered his meal, a salad with the strangest flora Shepard had ever seen, Shepard nudged the Asari cashier, revealing a credit chip and muttering about paying for Kaidan's meal as well.

She sat down at a small golden table, slightly amused as Kaidan tried in vain to buy his food. The cashier promptly pointed at Shepard in explanation, to which Shepard smirked, and waved.

His deep voice was unusually wary as he sat down. "Shepard, you shouldn't have…"

She interrupted, leaning in. "Kaidan, I was a commander the Alliance once too. I know for a fact that the paycheck sucks. The money's the only thing I'm going to miss about Cerberus." Kaidan smiled in response, and she felt she had successfully broken the ice.

Shepard looked down at her soup, noting the strange orange glow, but appearing not to mind as she took a sip. Kaidan, however, just looked down blankly at his food. Shepard had a feeling she knew what he was going to say, but did not rush him.

"Shepard, I need to apologize…" he muttered, his words trailing off as he slowly met her eyes.

She her jaw tightened. How was she going to end this without killing the man? "For what?" she replied, tilting her head and playing dumb.

His dark brows furrowed, and he looked away as if ashamed too to face her. Finally, he continued. "For not believing in you. You saved humanity from the collectors, and all I did was hound you about Cerberus."

His eyes looked beyond her, clearly engrossed in thought, "It's just… It was just so hard after you were gone, Shepard. I couldn't move on for the longest time. I felt like I was _betraying_ you." He brought a hand to his head, a sure sign of an oncoming migrane. "I tried to get over it, but when I saw you …" He voice cracked. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry."

He closed his eyes for a moment. When he looked at her once more, she saw his buried emotions begin to surface. His voice grew soft, almost a whisper. "I loved you, Shepard, and I think some part of me still does."

She clenched her teeth. This was the moment she'd been silently dreading. She had no doubt that Kaidan would be with her again if she indicated as much. But…Garrus…

She swallowed. What if Garrus was with Tabal right now? What if they were finishing what they started in the military? Though Shepard didn't know much about what turians male found attractive, she was pretty certain that Tabal had it, and Garrus hadn't been around his species in some time...

No way in hell. Not _Garrus_.

Shepard allowed passion to flow in her voice. "Kaidan, you know that I love you. But I'm going after the reapers. My odds aren't good. You have a stable life now, and you deserve to have a _stable_ relationship." Her next words ached her throat. "I wish I could give that to you."

He lowered his head quiet in defeat. Shepard lifted his chin with her petite hands. "Hey..." she continued. "I mean it. Go out with this doctor friend of yours, have a good time." She smiled genuinely. "You have my blessing."

Through the pain, Kaidan cracked a smile.

Was she going to get off that easy? Apparently not. "Shepard…" His deep voice resonated once more. She looked up. Something ominous loomed in his eyes. "Is there…someone else?"

He deserved to know. She nodded slowly, waiting for his response as her words poured out. "Yes. I'm with Garrus."

His face was blank. Shock. She continued. "We grew closer. I guess part of it came with working on a Cerberus vessel. I didn't have a lot of people I could trust."

His body slumped like a beaten animal. "I understand. He was there for you when I…"

"Stop!" she interjected, "Don't do this to yourself. Please." She exhaled. Her tone began to waver. She clenched her fist, trying in vain to keep her emotions at bay. "I wish that I could have those two years back, Kaidan, more than you know. I am truly sorry for the pain I've caused."

Shepard felt what happened before she saw it. Suddenly, he cupped his large hands over her face. He leaned in before she could react and brought his face to hers. He kissed her with a feverishness she'd forgotten he had.

It could be this easy, like Ilos all over again. If she kissed back they could be together once more. But somewhere, deep inside, her mind screamed to pull back. And she did. She could see an almost animal desperation come over Kaidan, the same man who'd always insisted on giving her an out.

This time, it was Shepard who gave herself an out. She backed out of her seat and fled the café with such vigor that he could never hope to find her.

***

Some things never changed. As Garrus entered the apartment, he noted that the place hadn't been remodeled in over a decade. The color, the furniture, the appliances had aged with his father, and were still obstinately in their exact same locations. As was his father.

His father had long ago converted his bedroom into a cluttered study, with a bulky black desk and untidy shelves encompassing the far side of the bedroom. The only hint that the turian did anything except file reports and check messages there was the presence of an onyx bed near the entrance. The 'bed' wasn't a far cry from a simple slab of rock, and Garrus still could not understand how his father was able to sleep on it. Granted, the hardened physique of turians didn't require much luxury in bedding, but sleeping on such a rigid, cold surface was extreme even by turian standards.

Garrus entered the foyer, turning with uncharacteristic trepidation into his father's bedroom. The room was barely lit, as it always was. Though the entire apartment had inviting oval windows overlooking a bright, breathtaking view of the Presidium, his father completely blocked them all with thick black blinds. As Tabal had said, Garrus' father was a private man. The darkness seemed menacing now.

And there his father was, leaning over his desk and staring at his console without deigning to even look up at his visitor. Garrus kept a few careful steps back from his father, waiting with increasing impatience for a response.

After a few palpably irritating moment for Garrus, his father tapped a nearby lamp on, and slowly gauged his visitor. His mandibles spread. It was as close to surprise as Garrus had ever seen.

"Garrus?" His father's voice was lower, rougher than he remembered. As he looked his father over finally saw age seeping into him. His stature was sunken, his facepaint faded. Yet his voice was still the commanding, authoritative tone that had allowed him to thrive as a C-Sec officer.

"Father." Garrus responded cooly.

In the dim light it was difficult to see, but as his father rose from his desk, his gaunt eyes became fixated on his son's charred jawline. "What the hell happened to you?" His tone betrayed concern, but he did not approach.

"A gunship. I wasn't too popular with the merc groups," he replied sardonically, keeping still.

His father didn't respond right away, but even in the darkness Garrus could see something stir within him. He stood almost statuesque behind his desk.

"So you were Archangel," his father said. He stated it bluntly, like reciting a simple fact. Garrus didn't respond. He elaborated. "I've been monitoring communications in the Terminus systems, tracking suspected smugglers. The Omega vids said you'd been killed."

Garrus wasn't fooled. "Tracking smugglers or tracking me?"

His father didn't answer, but stubbornly pressed him. "How did you make it out of there alive?"

Garrus felt his heart contract. He was going to have to bring up Shepard sooner or later, especially since his father was well aware that Garrus was on her ship. Not to mention that, if Tabal had beaten him to his father, then he knew…

"Shepard…" Garrus' voice cracked, but he pushed forward. "She saved me. I've joined up with her again." A dash of accusation entered his voice. "But you already knew that. Bailey admitted you were keeping tabs on me."

His father was still, though his probing eyes didn't leave Garrus'. "I thought she was dead," his father replied, his tone carefully neutral.

Garrus wished he'd never told his father the truth about Shepard. It was the catalyst for their prior schism.

Garrus had returned to C-Sec when he'd received that fateful call from Tali. Being back was almost bearable before that awful moment. Despite the chaos at the Citadel, his superiors gave him a healthy promotion, and he started speaking with his father again, using C-Sec as a bridge across which they could talk. Neither of them brought up Shepard or Garrus' time aboard the Normandy. It was like a silent truce.

After that call, however, everything went to hell. When his father persistently dogged him as to what was wrong, Garrus finally brought Shepard up. At first his father tried to be patient. But when his son resigned from C-Sec for a second time, he let his true feelings about her spill out.

Her death was inevitable. She was a _human _and a _specter_. She possessed both the recklessness typical of her species and unchecked power. It was only a matter of time before she met her end. She was dangerous. Garrus was better off without her.

That row grew more heated than any quarrel the two had with each other in the past. Worse than when Garrus had first considered applying for the specters, long before he'd even heard of Shepard. Worse than when he'd initially resigned at C-Sec to board the Normandy.

Garrus left the Citadel for Omega the following day.

Garrus paced. He couldn't hide his anxiousness as his memories overtook him. He was not his father, his emotions always seeped through in the end.

He knew what he was about to say would push their encounter into the red, but he had to reply to his father's question. "Cerberus brought her back."

His father couldn't restrain himself. "And now she works for them." He shook his head in disgust.

Garrus could feel his physiological reaction, his rage seething inside, but did his best to contain himself. He raised his voice, hinting to the anger within. "She doesn't anymore. You know that, you've been tracking her too." He paused, compelled to defend her though she and his father were utter strangers. "She only joined them because the council refused to investigate the colony abductions in the Terminus systems."

"The _human_ abductions. It appears she will go to any lengths to protect her own kind," his father added pointedly. He took a step forward. Garrus held his ground.

"You don't know the first thing about her," Garrus growled, his gaze locked with his father's.

The air was thick with revived agitation. Neither spoke for many long seconds, but was Garrus ever tempted. He was reaching his threshold.

His father spoke slowly, steel in his next words. "She was working for a human terrorist organization and still you followed her. Why?"

That was it. He couldn't contain himself anymore. "Because she's the only person left in this galaxy I give a damn about!"

His father's dark pupils widened, and for a moment, his firm composure sagged. He shed his conserved voice for a moment, allowing genuine shock to come though. "Tabal was right. You are fraternizing with this human. With Shepard."

Damn that swift turian female.

For once the roles were reversed, his father betraying emotion while Garrus stood firm. Now it was Garrus who took a step foward. "Leave Shepard the hell alone." His words were venom.

Realization hit his father like a bullet, and he stumbled backwards. He no longer appeared to be officer Vakarian, the legendary C-Sec investigator. He was just a tired, old man. "Garrus…" he mumbled. It was the same quiet tone he'd used when Garrus was just a struggling young boy, ever hinting of disappointment.

"I don't care what you think!" He turned to leave. "I knew it was a mistake coming here." Years of bitterness were engrained in his final sentence.

"Garrus, wait." He father approached warily. Garrus turned to face him. His father's eyes darted over his son's features trying to find some kind of answer. He asked his next question quietly. "You really do care for this human, don't you?"

Garrus looked into the aging eyes of his father. Such a probing personal question was generally a cultural taboo between turians. But when Garrus saw his father's pain, raw and genuine, he knew he had to answer. "More than I like to admit."

Garrus left without looking back. For many minutes, his father was frozen. Eventually, however, a plan formed within his shrewd mind.

He punched Bailey's number. The Captain's voice responded. "Bailey here."

Officer Vakarian's voice quickly reverted to the rough, steel tone everyone at C-Sec was so accustomed to. "Bailey, if Commander Shepard passes through security, send her into one of the interrogation rooms. I'd like to have a word with her."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Sorry if the end of the last chapter confused people! The first section of this chapter was initially included at the end of chapter six (it should clear up things), but I cut it short for 'dramatic effect'. My bad, I probably watch too many soap operas :P_

**Chapter Seven: The Picture**

Officer Vakarian could hear Bailey's voice twist in shock across the communicator. "Sir, with all due respect, I can't just-"

The turian's deep voice boomed. "I'm not asking you to question her, Captain, just stall her until I get there."

That hardly allayed Bailey's worries. He liked Shepard, he didn't want to pull one over her. He'd gone behind her back enough for Officer Vakarian's sake. Too bad his superior had him by the quads and knew it. "Sir," Bailey replied, "How exactly do I persuade her to _voluntarily_ enter an interrogation room?"

The C-Sec veteran was in no mood to debate. "You're a smart man Bailey. You'll come up with something."

Bailey was silent for a few seconds, obviously not convinced. "And if she refuses?"

"Then I might have to reconsider your coming raise. I'm on my way."

*******

Garrus never really thought he had needs. Give him a sniper rifle and a wrongdoing, and he thought he'd be satisfied. But he was wrong. He needed to be part of a team. He needed bad odds. And, now, he needed Shepard.

His only pit stop on his way back to the Normandy was to a weapons dealer in the lower markets, finally fulfilling his semi-order to purchase new firearms. The volus merchant hastily assisted him, knowing better than to keep him waiting. Impatient turians were volatile at best.

Garrus then walked vigorously back to the Normandy. He entered the ship's steel doors, unnerved by how quiet and empty it was. It seemed hollow, the silence threatening. He whisked into the elevator, groaning with annoyance as it crept slowly up to her cabin. He knocked. No response. He entered. It was empty.

Where the hell was she? He was certain she'd be here.

Garrus called out to the AI despite his unease with the machine. "EDI, is Shepard aboard the Normandy?"

She responded immediately. "No, Mister Vakarian. She has not been aboard the Normandy since 1100 this morning."

He turned to leave when a small black lump caught his eye. It was hidden in the back corner of Shepard's desk, well cloaked in the shadows. Indeed, he'd been in her rooms several times and never noticed it until now. The turian was not one to pry, but something about that small item taunted him. Slowly, he reached out and grasped the light, rectangular object.

It was a photograph of Kaidan.

His body jolted. Was that why Shepard wasn't back? Because she was with him?

Sick emotions churned within him, and he grasped the chair in front of him for physical support. He was so sure that he and Shepard would be inseparable, but now… He quickly checked his communicator. No messages from her. What other explanation could there be?

He dashed out of her room as if it were leaking toxic gas. In the elevator, he brought his hands to his face, attempting in vain to calm the feelings slithering within. He needed something, anything to occupy his mind. The only task he hadn't finished since the collector base mission was to clean and attune his rifle. It was tedious, but it was better than waiting in her room with that damn picture staring him in the face.

At least his gun wouldn't question his mating habits.

***

Ironically, Shepard never enjoyed causing a scene. Keeping a low profile often caused people to come to her, instead of having to actively seek them out. But when she started sprinting out of the Zakera Wards, her mind ignored the plethora of stares. She had no destination; she was purely motivated to simply get away. Finally she stopped in an empty stairwell, a less popular route between the different levels of the Zakera Wards. It was dim and dingy, decaying from neglect. The perfect place for a broken specter. She leaned her head against the slimy wall, ignoring the grime. Her breaths heaved heavily, and she could feel a stinging sensation in her sinuses. She pressed her hand against the wall, resistant.

She was Commander Shepard. She wasn't going to cry.

Suddenly, her instincts awakened. There was a presence behind her. She whisked around.

"Thane?"

"Siha," he responded, still as stone. "You are distressed."

Genuine surprise suppressed her anguish. "How did you find me?"

Thane approached her. "I saw you running." Concern seeped into his voice. "What troubles you?"

She turned away. Bad enough if she cried alone. She refused to in front of Thane. She managed a few words. "I- It's nothing."

He stepped towards her, gently grasping her shoulder with his webbed hand. "Something bothers you." Shepard didn't respond. Talking was a task too difficult at the moment. Thane's black eyes were persistent. His voice lowered. "Does this concern Garrus?"

She bowed her head. He'd caught her, no point in denying it. "Part of it, yes," she mumbled.

Thane's voice was rigid with confidence. "He will follow to whatever end, Shepard."

Her brows furrowed as she turned to face him. Thane had barely said two words to her turian lover. How could he say that with such assurance?

"How do you know that?" she said, despair replaced by curiosity.

He responded quickly, anticipating her question. "He told me."

Shepard shook her head. "You two have _talked_?"

Thane allowed the memory to engross him, consume him, as he voiced the recollection.

_The turian. Animal rage. Sidonis walks free. Shuttle back thick with unspoken anger. We exit the transport. His breathing is sharp, ragged. Like blades cutting flesh. Shepard approaches the predator. She touches him. Her hand to his. He settles._

_She brushes a finger over his own. She speaks, emotions flow. "I just need to pick up some armor upgrades then we are getting the hell out of here." _

_His blue eyes waver as she walks away._

"_She cares for you," I say._

_His head drops. Then a growl as he speaks. "I'd do anything for her. Remember that, __assassin__."_

Thane's eyes sharpened as he composed himself, in the present once more.

Shepard approached Thane gradually, much like she did with Garrus after that fateful encounter with Sidonis. Then, she delicately entwined her arms around the drell, and embraced him.

"Thank you."

***

Shepard weaved her way back into the Zakera Wards, purposely avoiding the path she'd taken with Kaidan. While she wasn't running this time, she walked with purpose. Thane had calmed her, but now more than ever, she needed to find Garrus. She brought up her omni tool as she walked. "EDI," she ordered, curtly, "Is Garrus aboard the Normandy?"

Her even monotone replied. "Yes, Commander. Garrus Vakarian is currently in the armory."

"Thanks."

At least his encounter with Tabal had ended, though she wondered what he was doing in the armory. Toying with his sniper rifle, most likely. He was tuning and calibrating that gun as much as the Normandy's weapon systems.

She strode with intention through security. Usually such a determined gait prevented unwanted spectators from interrupting her. Today was going to be an exception.

"Shepard," Bailey's rough voice called out. She stopped and spun around, surprised that he would call out to her. Had one of her crew members done something stupid on shore leave?

She'd never seen Bailey look so uncomfortable. He leaned back in his seat, his eyes only daring to meet hers for a moment before darting elsewhere.

Officer Vakarian always did ask the impossible from him.

"What can I do for you, Bailey?" she asked casually, striding up amiably to his desk.

Bailey scowled. "My, uh, boss wants to speak to you in one of the interrogation rooms."

Shepard raised a brow, smirking mischievously. "You bringing me in, Bailey? The council finally decide I've gone rogue?"

He scoffed. "Of course not. I think he just wants to meet you, face-to-face."

Shepard crossed her arms, unconvinced. "Somehow I doubt your boss is a loyal fan of mine," she replied.

"C'mon Shepard." Bailey wasn't one to plead, but something to that effect escaped his voice. "I can't force you, but I'm gonna get shit on if you don't stay. In any case, he's on his way."

For a moment, Shepard simply stared, her eyes assessing every detail of face for answers. Finally, she sighed. "Fine Bailey, but only because I like you."

Bailey got up, escorting her to the steel innards of the interrogation room. He left the door open, but something still felt ominous...

"Commander Shepard." Only a moment later, her instincts were confirmed. The turian was coarser and more reserved, both in voice and appearance, than his son. And yet, the resemblance was uncanny. Same height, same colorations, even a similar swagger as he entered. This turian was Garrus' famed father.

The door shut behind him. She cocked her head. For better or for worse, things were about to get interesting.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Almost time for Garrus and Shepard to reunite O.o Thane disappeared but he'll probably pop up again at some point, hope you like!_

**Chapter Eight: First Impressions**

Commander Shepard was intrigued.

She was notorious as a woman who always had a plan, but for the first few seconds, she her mind froze. Garrus hadn't spoken about his father since he initially joined the Normandy SR-1, and she hadn't pressed him. It was a private matter and he would tell her if he wished to. But that silence concerning his father had implications. Bad ones.

She and Officer Vakarian had been in the same room together for mere seconds, but his reserved posturing confirmed what pieces Garrus had told her: he was an orthodox turian. Whether he explicitly disapproved of her was unclear in his conservative stance, but it did mean that no matter how much he knew about his son's actions, he probably wasn't happy about it.

Even now, she could see his recessed eyes, a more eroded blue shade than his son, scan her over, sizing her up. However his body, which seemed to loom over her despite his age, stayed firmly in place.

For seconds, the two were stubbornly still, as if frozen in time. Finally, Shepard made a decision. She approached the turian. In return, he tilted his head, curious perhaps. His features were tactfully masked, his actions still. He was much harder to gage than his son.

She stopped only an arm's length away. She smirked. "You must be Garrus' father." She watched his mandibles open ever so slightly, perhaps slightly surprised at her immediate recognition. Maybe he was planning on using his anonymity to his advantage.

She extended her arm towards him. He must have dealt with humans in some capacity as a C-Sec officer. Certainly he knew what a handshake was.

The rugged turian kept his gaze locked firmly on Shepard, scrutinizing her every feature. After a few seconds, however he gripped his hand in hers. A strong, firm hold despite his age.

"I was wondering if we'd ever meet," she admitted, keeping steady eye contact.

His face neutral, but she detected genuine curiosity as he replied. "You've heard of me?"

Shepard smiled. She liked surprising this C-Sec veteran. She had a feeling it was a rare event for him. "Garrus mentioned you a little. He said you're pretty much a legend on the Citadel." She looked deeply into his grey eyes. "He also said you wouldn't like me."

"Hmph." The turian grunted. It was a low, resonating sound, and echoed through the room. A sign of agreement?

A few moments of strange silence. Shepard continued, obviously not intimidated as she leaned back casually against the metallic wall. "What can I do for you, Officer?"

His eyes narrowed. "I am here about my son."

***

It wasn't helping.

Debris was jammed deep within the sniper rifle's innards, preventing it from folding and unfolding with any ease. Garrus had tried everything. Tools, picks, even brute force, but all he had accomplished was further riling himself.

He set his glossy gun down, forcing his seized muscles to relax, but that only drew his attention to the persistent throbbing in his chest. She'd said she wanted him, not Kaidan, but maybe she was lying. Both to him, and to herself.

He glanced absently around the shiny armory, consiously trying to distract himself. These thoughts were poison, and pointless. One way or another, he'd find out the truth. And even if she crushed him beneath the heel of her shiny boot, he'd stay with her. He had nowhere else to go.

Several guns had been dissected at the adjacent table, no doubt Jacob Taylor's work. Strange that Shepard hadn't chosen him to woo. He was a fairly straightforward man, for Cerberus at least, and even Garrus had noticed how the man instantly straightened up when her name was even mentioned. Clearly, he respected her, admired her even. Why the hell hadn't she cursed him with her affections?

He let out a loud huff. No, until now he was thrilled that Shepard wanted him. They'd always shared a certain dynamic chemistry together, something indefinable yet unique. For him at least, their intimacy had only heightened this electrifying sensation, and he now found himself yearning for more. But he was lying to himself if he merely thought of Shepard as a physical stimuli.

Dammit, when did all of these complicated feelings for her start?

His mind blurred, and a memory flashed. The Purgatory mission.

That was the first time he had to admit to himself just how much he needed than damned woman.

They'd just discovered the Warden's treachery; Shepard was to be captured and sold like a slave. Shepard had just released Jack and they were making their way from the upper levels to the cells below. The hallways were a twisted maze, and guards were flooding in. He, Shepard, and Miranda had managed to escape from the processing room and were fast approaching a T-junction, Shepard naturally leading the way while he and Miranda brought up the rear, their backs to Shepard, as another wave of prison guards surged their six. They didn't last long however, as Miranda biotically slammed the closest approaching guards, while Garrus sniped the ones further back.

Then he heard Shepard scream.

"Garrus!!!"

The intersection was a trap. One end of the T-junction dead ended into an open prison cell, _Shepard's _prison cell, and the other route was blocked by no less than eight waiting guards. Shepard's shields went down in two seconds, and before she could even retreat, one of the guards shot her with a kind of taser-like stunning device. By the time Garrus had turned around, she was writhing on the floor, her assault rifle out of reach. She'd managed to grab her pistol from her side and take down three guards before the other five closed in. Another taser fire was shot. She gave a guttural yell, and started to go limp. They surrounded her like a pack of hungry varren.

Garrus flinched, utterly shocked by the scene. They were going to drag her into that cell.

Then he aimed his rifle. Three shots, all to the head. Miranda finished off the last two with her pistol.

Shepard winced on the floor. It was so strange to see her unarmed, stunned, helpless. He couldn't hide the primal fear in his voice as he quickly knelt beside her. "Shepard, are you alright?!"

For a moment she seemed dazed, out of focus. Finally she looked at him. "Yeah, I'm okay," she managed to mutter. A lie.

He reached his hand out to her. She took it and he slowly, tenderly lifted her to her feet.

The chaos around them seemed to halt in that time. She slumped over, swaying ungracefully as she attempted to stay on her feet. Garrus approached her. His hands found their way to her shoulders, and he gripped her lightly to steady her. Her orange scars glowed in the flickering light of the station as she looked up at him. There was something in those eyes. Something left unsaid, between the two of them. She whispered his name, ever so softly. "Garrus…"

"Commander, we need to move!"

Naturally, the cool and calculating Miranda interrupted them. Immediately, Shepard backed off, her face steeled. She retrieved her weapons and trotted off.

Garrus watched for a few seconds, aware of some strange ache within. Then, he hastily ran after her.

***

"I am here about my son." Yep, Officer Vakarian wasn't happy at all.

Shepard scowled. There was no way this was going to unfold well. She tried to shrug casually, responding as if discussing some mundane errand. "Garrus is on the Citadel if you want to talk to him."

Officer Vakarian didn't move. He kept his ashen eyes securely on Shepard. "I did, less than an hour ago."

So Garrus hadn't been with Tabal this whole time. Good.

The elder turian continued, his voice lowering. "It is clear he will no longer listen to me. But he will listen to you."

She raised her brow, asking the question that had been threatening to spill from her mouth the moment they met. "What do you want from me?"

Surprisingly, he did not respond, and broke his icy stare. Instead, he took a few steps around the room, pacing in a very Garrus-like manner. Finally, he stopped, further away from the human now. His profound voice, however, closed the distance. "I have concerns, Shepard."

She crossed her arms. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. "About me?"

He was silent again, collecting his thoughts, no doubt. "I do not approve of your methods or your… allegiances, Shepard. The council, however, still finds you useful and I am content to leave it at that." He paused, stepping towards her. He wasn't particularly heavy for a turian, yet the ground seemed to shudder. "When your more shady dealings involve my son, however…" His voice trailed off but his impilcations were sharper than a vorcha's teeth.

Shepard made a point to keep herself cool, and her voice stayed even. "Your son doesn't work for Cerberus, Mister Vakarian. He works for me."

Apparently, she'd unknowingly taken his bait. He pointed at her, energy infusing his voice. "Exactly," he replied. "You are charismatic. Others are drawn to you, willing to go to extremes for you, and my son is no exception." There was a pause. "You are much like Saren, in that regard."

That name still caused her to clench her white teeth, but she resisted the taunt. She stayed stubbornly silent, not deigning a response.

She heard the turian give off a rugged sigh in response to her stillness. Whether he was frustrated or impressed by her remained a mystery.

He then continued his lecture. "Quitting C-Sec, hunting Saren, joining a Cerberus vessel. There are brash actions."Another silent gap. "He never acted on such reckless feelings until he met _you_."

She rolled her eyes rather patronizingly. "That's a bit melodramatic, don't you think? I have been dead for two years. It's hard to believe my corpse has been very influential."

His arm slashed the air, as if deflecting her logic. "You're wrong. He resigned from C-Sec less than two weeks after he heard about your death." He leaned in. "And his actions on Omega almost replicated your tactics whilst hunting Saren. Forming a small squad, fighting poor odds, operating freely from the law." His voice lowered to a hiss. "He was nearly killed while attempting to emulate _you_."

Keeping an even tone was becoming physically difficult, but she managed to answer. "You give me too much credit, Mister Vakarian. I never persuaded your son to initially join me on my hunt for Saren, _he insisted_. And I never urged him to leave my ship after the geth invasion, _he wished to_." Her eyes narrowed. "I didn't brainwash your son, and I'm not as powerful as you believe."

The turian shifted his stance and cocked his head. A change of tactics was in order. "I disagree," he retaliated, his voice morphing into something thorny, condescending. "He has never fraternized with a _human_ before you."

Shepard scoffed. "Is that why you're really here?"

His father replied coldly. "He will be ostracized by his people and yours if this continues."

That was enough. It was her turn to take the offensive. "You are right about one thing, Mister Vakarian. Garrus has changed since his C-Sec days, and he's not going back to whatever role you approve of." Her eyes narrowed. "Not even if I cut all ties with him. No, more than likely he'd drop off the grid again, maybe this time for good." For the first time since the encounter, she raised her voice. "Is his being with me such a terrible alternative?"

The turian was frozen, for once at a loss for words. Shepard took the opportunity and headed quickly for the door, before he could regain his composure.

She paused at the exit. She gave Garrus' father one final statement, her defensive stance relaxing. "Whatever life you wanted for your son died a long time ago. It's too late. I'm sorry."

As Shepard turned to leave, he managed one final sentence. "Watch out for him, Shepard…"

"I will."

When she left the interrogation room, Officer Vakarian didn't try to stop her.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Only a few chapters left to go. Hope you have liked it all so far :)_

**Chapter Nine: Admissions**

Garrus was still in the armory when Shepard got there.

The door to the armory had been left open, as there was no one on the entire ship (save Legion, maybe) to bother the turian. Normally, Garrus was a bit of a recluse, keeping the door to his station firmly shut and often waiting until late hours to eat or sleep. Despite the presence of other non-humans aboard the Normandy, he'd always felt particularly conspicuous aboard, perhaps because of the less than amiable relations between his kind and humans. No one on the vessel had ever commented or sneered, but Garrus rather liked to avoid trouble in such confined quarters if he could.

Today, however, the door to the armory lay wide open. Shepard approached slowly, flinching as her boots squeaked against the smooth floor. The turian didn't seem to notice, making plenty of obnoxious clanging himself as he attempted to dislodge something from his rifle.

For a moment, Shepard peeked her head through the door and merely observed. Why was she hesitating? The exaggerated pulse running through her veins held the answer. A lot had happened today. Tabal, Kaidan, Officer Vakarian. She was worried.

She inhaled, and assumed her normal, far less quiet gait into the armory. Garrus reacted immediately, lowering his gun to the table and slowly turning towards her. His blue eyes glowed, but he did not approach her. "Shepard," he said simply, his voice vague.

She didn't miss this jaded reaction to her presence. She walked up to him until she was inches away from his larger body. He didn't respond. A bad sign to be sure.

"What's wrong?" she asked, allowing her concern to manifest in her voice.

He didn't react right away. Should he tell her about that damn picture he found? Should he press her about where she was? No, this wasn't a C-Sec interrogation, and Shepard had been through enough. She didn't deserve his accusations.

He kept his response masked, unclear. "You've been gone a while, Shepard."

She replied instantly, but her cracked voice perhaps betrayed the simple answer. "After the meeting with Anderson, I met with Kaidan…"

There it was. Of course she was with Kaidan. Could he blame her, really? Shepard's memories of Kaidan were still raw, fresh, untainted by her death. Kaidan had two years to move on. Shepard had months. And, despite Horizon, Garrus suspected her former LT never really did get over her. Hell, neither had he, and that was before he'd slept with her.

He could hear Shepard's voice through his own mental chaos. "…And I ran into your father."

What? Garrus wavered as if pushed by her words. "My father?"

She nodded gravely. "He intercepted me as I was heading back here."

Garrus growled. She loved it when he did that. "I told him to leave you alone."

A rueful smile curled upon her lips. "I have a feeling he's a bit stubborn. Like you."

Garrus' deep voice lowered further. "What the hell did he want?"

She shrugged, waving her hand as if blowing off her answer. "He had some vague accusations about me, but nothing I couldn't handle." She frowned, brushing her hand past his for a moment. "He's worried about you. He thinks I'm going to get you killed…I don't want to drive a wedge between you two."

The turian's breath slowed in response to the brief contact. Why did the touch of this woman, this human, feel anything but alien? "Our issues started long before I met you, Shepard," he replied slowly. His voice was soft, his reservations towards her beginning to thaw. Shepard noticed, and retracted her hand, ashamed.

Her next words felt like knives scraping against her throat, but she forced them out. "Something happened with Kaidan. You deserve to know."

The hum of the overhead lighting was the only audible sound. She didn't continue.

Garrus couldn't take it anymore. "Dammit Shepard!" he barked, "Don't leave me hanging."

She scowled, contorting her normally even features. "We had lunch. I tried to convince him to move on. I even told him about…us." It was strange to see so much pain projecting from her normally stolid eyes. "He kissed me."

Garrus was still. He'd seen humans and asari kiss, and Shepard had even planted a few light pecks on him, but he'd never really taken the time to consider the action. Did it signify something…important? He took a cautious step back. "What does that mean?"

Shepard's voice raised. "Nothing. He wanted to get back together, but I didn't. When he kissed me, I got the hell out of there."

Shepard wasn't one to run. He cocked his head. "Why?"

She slapped her hand against the steel table beside them, her voice as loud as the ringing sound it produced. "Because I want you, dammit!"

Garrus froze as his deep eyes widened. He'd never seen such visceral emotion from her before.

She swallowed, attempting to master herself as she looked down at the space between them. "You deserve better than me and my personal bullshit," she mumbled. She gave a pained smile but couldn't bear to look at his face. "You should run if you know what's good for you."

Garrus strode towards her, allowing his hands to lightly slide along her cheek. His voice, however, was strong, determined. "I'm not going anywhere, Shepard. You'd have to drag me off this ship before I'd leave you."

He felt her lean her head into his leathery hands. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want you to be cast out because you're with me, and god knows I don't want you to die because of me. You deserve better than that."

His hand slid down to her neck and he stroked the area ever so gently. "I need you, Shepard. To hell with the consequences."

Why was she shivering? "Aw hell, Garrus," she muttered, slowly crawling her eyes up to his, "I think I'm in love with you."

Garrus Vakarian had never been very good with words, especially around Shepard as of late. So he didn't say anything at first. He simply pulled her to him and embraced her tightly, as if fearing that she would fade away if he let go. She buried her head against his chest.

She could feel the vibrations of his low voice. "I love you, Shepard."

She gave a sharp exhale, like a wounded animal. He reacted instantly. He meant it and he aimed to show her. His hands greedily ran over her lean form, the force of his motions backing her against the work table. The guns atop it rattled in protest.

Shepard finally managed to laugh and tilited her head towards the exit. "C'mon. I don't want to defile Jacob's workspace."

Garrus gave an intriguing mix of a growl and chuckle. He clasped her hand possessively, leading the way to the elevator. The metal doors squealed open and they tumbled in rather ungracefully. It was a good thing that no crewmembers were around to call for that elevator, for most of their clothing had been removed by the time they reached Shepard's quarters.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Thanks for all of the support, it makes writing easier!_

**Chapter Ten: The Glove**

By the time the elevator doors opened to Shepard's floor, the commander only had on undergarments. Garrus only adorned leggings.

The turian eagerly slapped the button to open the door to Shepard's room, while Shepard kicked their already removed clothing out of the elevator and into her quarters. Garrus backed into the room slowly, urging her to enter with a soft yet urgent tug on her arm. She put up no resistance.

The lights in her room automatically blared on as they entered, giving Garrus the opportunity to fully examine the half naked human before him. Only now did he notice their striking contrast in shape, size, color, and texture. The two had always been intimate in darkness before. He suspected Shepard did this on purpose to slowly acclimate him to her alien form, and probably vice versa.

Their differences hardly seemed to allay Shepard's desire. As her eyes drifted over his firm torso, her breath hastened and her face flushed. She wanted him.

Garrus wasted no time. He glided up to her with intention, placing his hands around her waist. With minimal effort, he nimbly lifted her light frame as he carried her towards her bed. She chuckled in response, surprised by his newfound tenacity. Slowly, he laid her down, and didn't hesitate to descend upon her. They made short work of each other's remaining clothes. Garrus even recalled the hooking mechanism of her bra and unclasped the item single-handedly. Shepard smirked in response, saying simply, "Impressive."

Garrus gave a final, teasing growl. "Just you wait, Shepard."

***

"Shit."

There was blood on the sheets. Human blood.

Garrus knew that last night had been comparably intense. He'd tried master his more aggressive impulses, like before, but when Shepard pleaded between bated breaths for him not to stop…

She wasn't a damned turian. He should have known better than to give into his primal instincts. What was he thinking?

He sat up slowly, attempting not to stir the curled form beside him. The red clock on her nightstand read 0400. Time had melted yesterday. They'd reunited sometime in the afternoon, and apparently had gone at into the evening before finally collapsing to sleep.

He sat on the bed, still for a few moments. He ought to get medical supplies to speed up her healing. Today was the final day of shore leave, after all. If Shepard had to explain to Chackwas (or worse, Mordin) why she was hobbling about the ship he'd never have the quads to enter medbay again.

He stood.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Shepard's eyes twinkled as she spoke in her smooth, teasing way, apparently unperturbed by her wounds.

"Shepard..." Garrus sat upon the bed once more. At least she didn't grimace as she arose to a seated position as well. He quickly leaned in, and desperately ran his hand across her curvy torso, searching for the physical evidence of his lust. There only appeared to be scratches on her upper body, which seemed confined to her sides and back. Luckily the cuts weren't too deep or lengthy, but they were definitely visible. Her uniform would thankfully hide them.

He stammered, shaking his head. "Shepard, I'm sorry…"

She gave a short laugh, twisting towards him. "You're apologizing? What the hell for? Galaxy-shattering sex?"

He sighed. "I went too far, and I hurt you. I should have stopped myself."

She gave a beaming grin, slowly inching her supple hand up his chest. "As I recall, you tried, but I... ah..." she coughed suggestively, "_convinced_ you to continue. Besides, it's only a few cuts."

His glowing eyes drifted back to the sheets. There was a large blotch of crimson by her pelvic region. It wasn't just cuts.

Shepard didn't miss a beat, and climbed her hand up to his neck, caressing the area with gentle reassurance. "_That_ problem will fix itself in time. You've got to stop being so hard on yourself. You were great." She then gave an impish grin as she leaned over to her nightstand, pulling a small gel packet out of her drawer. "Besides, if you're so concerned about my injuries, I guess you'll just have to rub this medi-gel _all_ over me."

Only Shepard could turn medical treatment into a sensual experience. Not that he argued as he playfully snatched the packet.

"You're something else, Shepard."

***

Garrus awoke once more to the feel of moist vapor.

He darted up. He'd fallen asleep _again_? The clock blared 0700. He'd effectively doubled his normal sleep routine. Shepard was tiring him out.

Shepard herself emerged from the bathroom few moments later, moist from her shower but sadly fully clothed. She wasn't limping, thankfully.

"Hey there," she cooed as she shook the water from her hair.

He replied with a tender "Hey."

She then turned to her desk and tossed a datapad on his lap. He cocked his head. "What's this?"

She moved back into the bathroom, prepping herself as she chatted idly. "Reaper evidence. Any ideas on how to present this stuff without ending up grounded again?"

He gave a bemused grunt, a bit flattered that she considered him her strategic equal. Tactical collaborations in the morning and..err.. _physical _collaborations in the evening? Being with Shepard was looking better and better.

He skimmed over the datapad, talking casually. "We may want to bring some 'reliable' witnesses, so the council can't brush us off. Like Mordin, maybe. He was in special ops, he'd have to have some sway. And me, of course, for aesthetics and to appease your favorite turian ambassador. Maybe Thane too for his memory."

Shepard sauntered out of the bathroom, fresh and animated. "Damn Garrus. Brains and brawn? I'm a lucky girl." She beckoned him with a teasing wave of her finger. "C'mon. Those guns you ordered are ready. We'll get them delivered, then grab some food. You can tell me your reaper strategies on the way."

Garrus didn't need to be told twice. He hastily found his scattered clothing and dressed… except for his right glove. Where was it? He did a double take. Nope, it wasn't in Shepard's room.

"Huh," he remarked absently, "My glove's missing."

Shepard exposed her ivory teeth in a smile. "It's probably still in the elevator."

"Right."

Strange. The elevator wasn't waiting at their floor when they called it, but instead climbed up from the CIC. Someone had been in it. Who the hell would forsake their last day of shore leave to return bright and early to the Normandy? Was Legion out and about?

Finally, the unwieldy mechanical doors opened, revealing the elevator's innards. They stepped inside. No glove.

Shepard noticed and shook her head, amused. "Guess you'll just have to have a naked hand today, you sly devil."

"Hmph," he rumbled in response. "Try to control yourself, Shepard."

Shepard immediately took his bait, grabbing his bare hand and stroking it with her own. "I'll try my _best_."

The elevator door opened to the CIC. Had someone forsaken their final vacation day to return to the Normandy?

Yep, over half the crew. And, as the doors opened and revealed Shepard and Garrus hand-in-hand, a slew of crewmembers saw them. For once, Garrus wished that Shepard _didn't_ inspire such loyalty.

For one of the crew probably had his glove.

Shepard smiled. "So much for us being subtle."


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: In this chapter, Shepard gets to deal with another confrontation that I don't think has been written too much about. I hope you like it!_

**Chapter Eleven: Reactions**

Slowly, almost painfully, Shepard separated her hand from Garrus'.

Shepard could hear Kelly Chamber squeal from her post as she stared bug-eyed at them. The last woman Shepard had seen with eyes that big had been high to hell from red sand. Thankfully Miranda intercepted the pair before the Yeoman could come over and gush.

The dark-haired woman gave a curt salute, but actually smiled at Shepard. This genuinely surprised the turian. Hell, he was surprised Miranda was still on the ship now that they were happily 'Cerberus-free'. It was possible the XO was still working for the Illusive Man as some kind of spy, but her normally frosty face melted as she greeted the commander. No, something had changed.

Miranda spoke. "Shepard, I'm glad to see you've healed." Was that a hint of emotion Garrus detected in her normally stiff voice? She still ignored Garrus, though, but that was nothing new. As long as she kept her mouth shut concerning his…'relations' with Shepard, he really didn't care.

Shepard gave an approving nod, grinning herself. "Miranda, good to see you're still with us."

Miranda's dark brows furrowed as she answered. Clearly she'd given her next sentence some thought. "Taking down the Collector base was the right decision. The Illusive Man might not agree, but we had no choice."

Shepard gave a casual pat on her XO's shoulder, one she'd often given to friends, Garrus included. "I'm relieved to hear that. So what brings you back early?" She smirked playfully. "It's not like you have mission reports to file."

Miranda gave a candid shrug. "I guess I'm a bit anxious to get underway. I thought I'd see what maintenance still needs to be done, so we can get right to work tomorrow."

Shepard's military tone slowly leaked in. "Sounds good. Garrus and I are actually going to pick up the new firearms we ordered. I'll be back soon."

"Yes, Commander." Miranda walked off, renewed purpose ringing in her high-heeled steps.

As Garrus and Shepard maneuvered through the CIC to the ship's exit, the crew stood and genially saluted their commander. While normally a pleasant sight, frosty dread instead lurched in Garrus. The whole crew knew about _them_ now. Sure, they wouldn't so much as lift a brow at him while Shepard was around, but sooner or later he was going to be alone…and then what would they say? At least one of them had found (and taken) his glove in the elevator. If the crew already knew that he and Shepard were intimate, then it probably wasn't a far leap to imagine _why _Garrus had removed a piece of clothing that had always been securely fastened over his hands. Maybe someone was even using his lost glove as a way to bait him out and confront him. This was an ex-Cerberus vessel, after all. Interspecies relations with a _turian_ probably would upset more than a few people.

Unfortunately, the docking bay doors were situated right next to the piloting controls. Joker twirled in his chair like a carefree child as they approached. "Shepard! Garrus!" he exclaimed, extending his arms towards them as if he was yearning for a group hug. It was hard to tell if he meant the gesture genuinely or sarcastically. Maybe a bit of both.

Shepard just shook her head, approaching his station slowly. Even though she was but a few steps away, Garrus suddenly felt isolated and exposed. Did that crewmember just wink at him? What the hell did that mean?

"How are you Joker?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Not as good as you two, I hear," he remarked, a devilish gleam lurking in his eyes.

Garrus froze, mortified, but Shepard just rolled her eyes and huffed a sigh. "Shut up Joker," she said, her tenor hinting at slight amusement.

Joker's eyes widened. "So it's true then! Damn, I just lost a bet to Gardner. I was sure you were going to torture yourself and try to work things out with Kaidan, despite his bullshit on Horizon." Jeff Moreau then leaned back contentedly in his chair, clearly pleased with himself.

Garrus actually took a few uneasy steps back. Jacob was right. Everyone knew about them, even the loner pilot who talked to an AI more than the crew. Shit. His days of keeping a low profile on the Normandy were long gone. Even if he hid myself in the foward battery and ate during odd hours, the _cook _would still be there. The same cook who was apparently so confident that Shepard was involved with her turian comrade that he was willing to bet Joker on it. Garrus was screwed.

Shepard actually smiled at the pilot. "You're a real ass, you know that?"

"I try."

***

Finally, Shepard and Garrus escaped the Normandy, and headed down the docking ramp towards the security checkpoint leading into the Wards. She gave a light chuckle. "I wonder if your dad will 'greet' us at security," she mused.

"I doubt it," Garrus replied, trying not to tense at the thought of his grizzled father. "He always separated suspects during interrogations. He already tried that with you and failed. I'd like to think he'll leave us alone now."

Shepard's lips cracked as she was about to reply, but instead she came to a sudden halt. It was now Shepard's turn to freeze in shock as her eyes became locked on a figure further down the docking ramp. She gave a long, deep moan. "_Oh no_…"

Garrus followed her eyesight. At first he merely observed a dark-skinned human female standing idly by at the base of the ramp. But wait… short dark hair, purple and red dress, and a camera? Dammit, it was that reporter, miss something Jilani, and she was camping right outside the Normandy.

Shepard gave him a desperate look, like a trapped animal. "This is either about Cerberus, or about _us_."

Garrus visibly recoiled. How the hell could the reporter possibly know about him and Shepard? Even Kelly wasn't yappy enough to talk to a reporter about her commander's love life. Unless…Tabal…

Shepard's face reverted to its usual military mask. "Head back to the Normandy. I'll deal with her."

"But the guns-"

"I don't want to risk her or another reporter ambushing you in the Wards." Her voice was smooth but urgent. "Get going."

Garrus lowered his head, defeated. It finally was time to face the Normandy crew alone. "Yes ma'am."

He turned and plodded sluggishly back to the ship, but not before giving a final, sidelong glance at Shepard. She walked rigidly down the ramp, and in turn the reporter waved energetically at her. Yep, miss al-Jilani had been waiting for her. If what he suspected was true, and Tabal had bitterly dropped a hint at Westerlund News about him and Shepard, then soon not only would everyone on the Normandy know about them, but everyone in the whole damned galaxy.

He realized then that he was wrong about Tabal. She was not the same confident, arrogant turian he remembered from his military days. She was worse.

***

"Khalisah bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Hello again, Commander Shepard."

Shepard crossed her arms and tapped her foot with such fervor her boots threatened to wear away the flooring beneath her. "What do you want _now_, miss al-Jilani? Have more accusations in store for me since last time?"

The reporter gave the best disingenuous smile she'd seen in years, answering calmly. "There have been a lot of rumors floating around about you lately. I just want to give you the chance to clear the air."

Her ever-irritating camera flashed on, once again blinding Shepard for a moment.

The reporter wasted no time. She looked down at her datapad, even though Shepard was certain she'd memorized whatever questions she was about to ask. "Sources indicate you are no longer with the Alliance, but have instead been working for a human terrorist organization, Cerberus." Her onyx eyes narrowed. "Care to comment?"

Shepard actually felt her thumping heart slow with relief. At least it wasn't about Garrus. "First of all," she began confidently as her masked military voice took over, "I never worked _for _Cerberus. The organization merely provided me with information and resources to stop the colony abductions in the Terminus systems." She looked reassuringly into the camera. "And, because of it, the culprits of the abductions _have _been dealt with."

Shepard then gave a tactful pause before switching gears. "Accepting Cerberus' assistance was not an action I took lightly, but if thousands of lives have been saved because of it, then I believe that the ends have justified the means." She leaned her face into the reporter, as if al-Jilani was the one being grilled. "I am still a council specter, and _that_ is where my allegiances lie."

Miss al-Jilani stayed stubbornly cool. "So you are saying the council condoned your ties with Cerberus?"

The commander gritted her teeth, trying to pacify her anger as it flushed her cheeks red. One of these days Shepard was going to punch that reporter a new one. "Of course not," she replied equally placidly. "They also do not condone the Shadow Broker, yet his agents freely operate on the Citadel for a reason. Both groups provide information quickly, which was necessary in this case to save the most lives in the shortest amount of time. Collaborating with Cerberus wasn't an ideal solution, but I don't regret what I did for a moment."

The reporter frowned. That probably was a good sign. "I suppose the viewers at home will have to draw their own conclusions," al-Jilani muttered.

Shepard took an impatient step back. "Are we done here? I have important business to attend to."

The reporter's scowl began to bend into a malicious smile, likely an omen concerning her next question. "Almost. I just have one more question. A _personal_ one."

***

Garrus' walk back to the Normandy felt like a painful eternity. He paused for a moment outside the ship's entrance and gave a hefty sigh, glancing down absently at his naked hand. He knew he had to face the crew sooner or later, and if he wanted his glove back, it would have to be now.

He wasn't a superstitious being by any account, but that glove had saved his life once, back on Omega. It was the day when he'd tried to kill Garm. Garrus had quietly tracked the merc leader's movements, and eventually found him alone as the krogan was sexing it up with some asari hooker in an alleyway outside of Afterlife. As clean a sniper as he was, Garrus wasn't sure he could shoot Garm without hitting the asari, so he tried to get in close for a clean kill. Perhaps it was his primal krogan instincts, but Garm immediately pushed the hooker aside and charged Garrus as soon as the turian turned the corner. That damned merc was faster and more agile than he would have ever guessed, and when Garm called out for his vorcha minions, Garrus was forced to flee.

Garrus managed to sprint down an old side street and slip into a dark, abandoned warehouse as the vorcha chased after him. He waited patiently inside as the vorcha's snarls slowly dissipated down the road. Ever so slowly, Garrus opened the warehouse door and poked his head outside, gripping his gloved hand on the jagged, decaying door frame as he scanned for any sign of the Blood Pack mercs. The coast looked clear. By sheer luck, his glove got caught on a small, sharp protrusion on the doorframe, and as he tried to enter the street, he was jerked back. He was one lucky bastard for that, because a missile whisked by but a moment after, missing him by an inch. As Garrus managed to pull his gloved hand free, he sniped that surprisingly clever vorcha gunner, who'd been lurking in a dark cove further down the street. He then bolted down the street and managed to get away.

If Garrus wanted that glove back, he couldn't hide himself in the foward battery. He'd have to finally face the crew, to whatever end. He stepped into the Normandy, and immediately approached Joker, who was in the middle of an argument with EDI. "Did I really bet _that_?" Joker whined, clutching his face with his hands.

"Yes, Mister Moreau," the AI replied composedly, "You told Gardner that if Commander Shepard became intimate with Mister Vakarian, you would inform Mordin that you lost your virginity to a varren and are responsible for the scale itch outbreak on the Normandy."

"Argh!" Joker moaned, turning to Garrus. "This is all your fault!"

"I feel horrible," Garrus replied sardonically. "Look all I want to know is if you've seen my glove. It's black and made of leather. I can't seem to find it."

Joker's face scrunched up at the bizarre question. "What? How the hell did you lose your glove?"

Garrus didn't respond right away. "I…err…dropped it in the elevator."

Joker was silent for a few seconds, searching Garrus' nervous blue eyes for answers. Then it dawned on him. "Aww, man, did you and Shepard…? In the elevator? Gross, dude, people _use_ that!"

A nearby crewmember overheard from his seat, and turned directly toward the turian. "Nice, Garrus!" he exclaimed, beaming with approval.

Garrus felt his blood grow hotter than the lava on Therum. Screw it, his glove wasn't worth this. It was time to go hide at his station for a few hours. But Garrus didn't take more than five steps towards the elevator before a high pitched voice shrieked his name. What the hell was that?

He then spotted a small, red-haired creature bobbing through the bustling crew. Kelly Chambers leaped upon Garrus with such a sudden and tight hug that the turian staggered backwards. "Garrus!" she squeaked, "I just wanted to let you know that I am _soooo _happy for you and Shepard! I told her you two would make a cute couple!"

The seated crewmen in the CIC all turned to watch the scene.

Garrus Vakarian had been through a lot in his life. He'd fought a plethora of pirates, mercs, gangs, geth, and collectors without showing even the slightest semblance of fear. But today, at this moment, Garrus Vakarian was truly horrified.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: I apologize if you're just reading my story now, my page breaks disappeared! So much for the triple asterisk :( Anyways, it looks like I still have 2-3 chapters to go with this story so it's not over just yet!_

**Chapter Twelve: The Interview**

Shepard didn't move, didn't even make a sound. It was as if she was frozen in some block of ice on Noveria.

Not that such a sharp reaction (or non-reaction, as it were) phased the infamous Khalisah bint Sinan al-Jilani. The reporter glanced down once again at her infamous datapad, as if she were about to recite some random factoid she'd found on the extranet. But this was no random factoid. This was _the_ question, the one with so many implications, especially for miss al-Jilan's career should the rumor be true. She could be famous, the reporter who discovered Commander Shepard, savior of the Citadel's, dirty little secret. Hell, she might finally land that gig at Galaxy News if she played her cards right.

All of this miss al-Jilani knew well, yet she used a naïve, almost girlish tone to ask the dreaded question. "We have allegations that you've become intimate…"

Shepard was still, but gritted her teeth and tensed her body as she braced herself.

"…with a _turian_." Al-Jilani arched her brow triumphantly, smoothly continuing. "Sources indicate he is a mister... Garrus Vakarian." She was glad that all that practice pronouncing the turian name had paid off. "He's reported to be a former C-Sec officer and is now a crewmember aboard your ship." She cocked her head like a confused varren. "Is this _true_?"

Shepard balled her fist so tightly her nails nearly cut through her calloused palm. She kept her jaw clenched, as a trail of obscenities threatened to spill otherwise. Her pupils narrowed to specks, and such was the only response the reporter received for seconds. Finally, Shepard spoke one word. "Yes."

* * *

Kelly Chambers wasn't letting go. She made a soft "Mmm" sound as her soft body pressed against Garrus'. The turian was frozen, both by shock and indecision. He didn't want to risk hurting the small human by pushing away, but now even crewmembers stationed clear across the CIC had dropped what they were doing and wandered over to watch the scene. He had to get out of there.

Now was Kelly's chance to finally live out her therapeutic dream on Garrus, the very one she'd admitted to Shepard months ago when the turian had first joined the SR-2. He heard Kelly whisper in an uncharacteristically quiet tone as she caringly stroked his backside. "It will be alright."

Okay, that was it. It was high time to get the hell out of the CIC.

Garrus took a few careful steps back, forcing Kelly to release her iron clad embrace. He pointed vaguely towards the elevator, mumbling awkwardly, "I, uh, have to go calibrate that _thing_ that...err… needs calibrating. I've got to go."

He trotted away swiftly before Chambers could respond, and tried his best to ignore the army of stares directly squarely at him as he leapt into the elevator. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes as the doors slowly closed, trying his best to recover his tattered dignity. That was, until he sensed the presence of another inside the machine.

His head darted, and his mouth flared open in shock. "Thane?"

The drell bowed his head in greeting, his arms securely crossed behind his back. "Garrus," he replied simply, "I regret that I do not have your glove."

Garrus rolled his eyes. How Thane had come to hear about his glove search was a mystery Garrus suspected he didn't want solved.

A predictably awkward silence ensued as the elevator inched its way down. _Dammit_, Garrus cursed inwardly, feeling sparks of tension arise in the cramped space. _The crew quarters are only one floor down, how long does this damned machine take?_

Then, to Garrus' surprise, Thane smoothly waved his webbed hand over the elevator controls, pushing the 'stop' button on the panel. The elevator eased to a halt.

What the hell was he doing?

The drell's rotund eyes seemed to gaze through the turian and he dared to take a step forward. His raspy voice spoke. "Is Shepard alright?" he asked simply.

Garrus sized the drell up, trying to find some sign on his face or body to indicate what the hell he was getting at. "What are you talking about? She's fine," Garrus replied, crossing his arms in defense. Was there some implication about him laced in Thane's words?

The drell was still. His previous encounter with their commander was a memory he'd already relived numerous times in his mind. He had no problems dredging his recollection to the surface, as he recited yesterday's events to Garrus.

_The clang of boots rings over the chatter in the Zakera Ward. I know that sound. A female flashes past the security entrance in a desperate sprint. "Kolyat," I say to my son, "I will return shortly."_

_I follow. A familiar scent trails the running woman. Of spring, of flowers, of happier times. Shepard. She makes a sharp turn. I follow still._

_The stairwell reeks of grime and rot. Shepard leans against the soiled walls. She heaves her breaths, her body trembles. _

_I hesitate. Shepard is in pain._

_I approach. She turns. Tear-threatened eyes widen. "Thane?"_

Garrus was silent, utterly confused by Thane's memory. When the hell did Shepard get so upset? And why?

Thane obstinately pressed forward. "This occurred yesterday. She did not tell me what happened. She only admitted that it had to do, in part, with you."

Garrus repeated Thane's statement absently. "_Yesterday_…?" Then the answer struck him. Garrus didn't speak for a few moments, but simply dropped his head. It was so damn obvious. "Kaidan."

Thane's black eyes didn't leave his. "Who is Kaidan?" he asked persistently.

The turian stared down absently at his hands, his thoughts slowly wandering back to the SR-1 as he replied. "Kaidan was a soldier on the first Normandy. Before Shepard died, they were…close." His scaled fists clenched, and a streak of anger passed through his words. "They reunited a few months ago on Horizon, when the collectors attacked the colony. He was upset she'd joined Cerberus. " He couldn't hide his disgust as he shook his head bitterly. "He called her a traitor. She met with him for the first time since then… _yesterday_."

Thane spoke slowly, "He caused her such pain?"

Garrus nodded solemnly.

Finally, Thane pressed the button to resume the elevator's movements. He no longer faced the turian, but reflected anyway. "Shepard has the strength and beauty of an angel of Arashu."

Garrus gave the drell a confused gawk. Was Thane admitting feelings toward _his_ lover?

Anger then broiled inside the turian. Garrus tried to stifle an irritated growl, but a low huff still escaped. Thane heard it and turned slowly. "I do not wish to interfere in your relations with her. I merely wished to remind you of her many admirable qualities." He gave a tactful pause. "She should never be hurt by those she loves..."

Garrus eyed the drell, mandibles opening in slight amusement. "Or else you'll do something about it?"

A flicker passed through Thane's dark eyes. "Should you hurt Shepard, my body might be compelled to defend her."

Thane left the elevator without looking back.

Garrus gave a pleased chortle. He was starting to like that assassin after all.

* * *

The reporter smiled. This was going to be like shooting pyjaks in a barrel. "How do you justify sleeping with the species your parents fought in the First Contact War?" she asked sweetly.

Shepard's eye twitched. She didn't respond right away; not because she didn't have an answer, but because she was trying to diffuse her desire to break the reporter's pretty little nose. Shepard couldn't hide the contempt in her voice. "The First Contact War was decades ago, miss _al-Jilani_." She spit her name like it was a curse. "If you still think that turians are the enemy, then perhaps you should watch more of your own news vids."

The reporter didn't waver, offering a fresh counter ploy. "So you just have a thing for aliens then?"

Shepard snarled, pointing her finger disdainfully at her. "You have a lot of nerve implying that I'm with Garrus just to fulfill some interspecies fantasy. He has fought by my side since I hunted Saren, and has saved my sorry ass more times than I like to admit. I've come to trust that _turian_ a hell of a lot more than I trust most _humans_. Eventually I even found myself caring for him." Finally Shepard managed to catch a breath. "So yes, miss al-Jilani. I'm in a relationship with Garrus Vakarian. _Satisfied_?"

Finally, Shepard had managed to wipe that smug smirk off the reporter's face. Instead miss al-Jilani sported a dumbfounded stare, apparently all out of barbed retorts.

The commander hastily continued before she could recover. "Funny that in the traverse, no one so much as stared at us. Yet here I am, in the Citadel," she extended her arms out at the massive metropolis, "the supposed social and cultural hub of the galaxy, and I get confronted by bigots like you. How ironic, and quite frankly, sad."

Shepard angrily stormed off into the Zakera Ward before the reporter could reply, pitying whoever got in her way. Not that she far at all before her communicator beeped. Her fury quickly faded as she glanced at the caller ID.

Slowly, Shepard answered the call in a wavering voice. "…Mom?"


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: I appreciate all the feedback! This chapter is a bit silly, but I hope you like it :)_

**Chapter Thirteen: Chaffing**

"…Mom?"

Shepard's mother hated talking via communicator. She always sounded slightly annoyed and impatient across the device, even when she was off-duty. It wasn't anything personal against her daughter, her pragmatic manner just didn't translate well on such a machine, and she knew it. Even when she'd heard about her daughter's rumored return, she'd sent her a desperate 'You're Alive???' message via the _extranet._

So when the commander saw 'Hannah Shepard' on the caller ID, she almost wondered if it was some sort of prank.

"Honey, it is you!"

Shepard gawked at her communicator. That experienced, confident voice was unmistakable. It was her mother alright. If she was contacting her via a _communicator_, it was probably something important.

Shepard tried to mask her confusion. "Hi mom, what's up?" she asked casually.

"That's all you have to say to you poor mother?" Hannah scolded, her twisted words hinting at some inner pain. Even Shepard's mother had excelled at the use of guilt trips. While it wasn't a ploy she used professionally on her crew, it was her weapon of choice against her family. "I thought you were dead all this time!" she continued. "Why didn't you tell us?"

'Us.' An interesting choice of words. It implied that Shepard's mother and father were still physically together. They were still legally married, yes, but last Shepard knew, her father was serving aboard the Odyssey while her mother was on the Kilimanjaro. The two had slowly drifted apart after their child enlisted, both growing more devoted to their respective careers than to each other. Their marriage was now more of a partnership between two prominent Alliance officers, but it served its purpose.

"I'm sorry mom," Shepard said guiltily, staring down at the floor like a toddler in trouble. Only her mother could draw this reaction out of her. "I was in a coma up until a few months ago, then I was dealing with those colony abductions in the Terminus systems."

Hannah's voice grew kind. "I understand honey, please just send me a message next time." Apparently her guilt trip ended as she changed subjects. "Anyway, the reason I called is because I'm on the Citadel for a meeting and I heard your ship is here for repairs." Shepard wrinkled her brows. If Hannah knew about the Normandy-2, she must have also known that it was a Cerberus vessel. Why hadn't she brought Cerberus up?

Her mom continued. "When you're off-duty, would you like to grab a bite in that Embassy restaurant?" Then it dawned on Shepard. Because Hannah wanted to confront her in person.

Shepard knew she couldn't say no. Guilt trip aside, she wanted to explain herself, especially before Westerlund News aired her latest interview. "Of course," Shepard said genially. "I'm free now if you don't mind a late breakfast."

Hannah's voice was amiable, but curt. "That would be great. See you soon." The communicator clicked off.

Shepard scowled at the device, her eyes glazed over in thought. Under normal circumstances, Hannah Shepard was a perfectly reasonable, understanding human being. It was why she'd successfully captained ships for decades. But her daughter's actions as of late hardly fit the bill of 'normal'. Shepard merely wondered which confession was worse: that she'd willingly cooperated with a pro-human splinter group or that she was dating a member of the very species her mother had once fought.

Shepard sulkily called Miranda.

"Miranda? It's Shepard. I'm going to be gone for an hour or two. My, uh, mom is in town."

* * *

The door panel to the forward battery was orange. Locked.

Garrus stared, dumbfounded. Why the hell was the door to _his_ station locked? Was the same person who'd taken his glove responsible for this?

He poked at the door's controls again. Nothing.

He glared angrily at the orange panel, as if to intimidate it into unlocking, but it was to no avail.

He started to pace anxiously as he weighed his options. Miranda and EDI both had ample authority to lock his station down, so he was going to have to talk to them if he wanted answers. Not that he exactly reveled in chatting with an icy ex-Cerberus employee or a ship-controlling AI. He chose the simpler option first.

"EDI?" The name came out hoarsely as it was not one he often said. He hoped the perceptive AI hadn't caught it.

Her blue spheroid image popped up next to the door panel as she appeared. "Yes, Mister Vakarian?" EDI asked evenly.

"Why can't I get to my station?"

EDI answered swiftly, as if she'd anticipated the question. "Miss Lawson is running security tests. They should be completed in approximately ten minutes, thirty-seven seconds."

Garrus tried to stifle his annoyance with a curt, "Thanks." Great, alone on the crew deck for ten minutes, and during the tail-end of the crew's morning meal hour. Garrus had managed to sneak past them to reach his station, but he was sure to draw attention if he loitered about nervously outside his workplace. Perhaps if he crept past the mess hall and caught Miranda in her office, he could persuade her to open his station early. He supposed talking to her would be less awkward than having to deal with the 'breakfast crowd'.

Garrus took a wide berth around the mess hall, creeping around past the med bay. Eventually he turned and walked up to the entrance of Miranda's office. The light outside of _her _door was green. Had she simply saved the security lockdown for him? Apparently not, as he could hear Mordin ranting to himself as the elevator doors opened.

"Door was green, then red, then green, now red! Left to investigate, now locked out of own laboratory! Haven't seen such mismanagement since grad school!"

Mordin took a few energetic breaths, then spotted Garrus. "Do you know meaning of this?" he asked quickly.

Garrus pointed towards Miranda's door. "I was just going to find out."

Mordin clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Excellent. Will join you."

Garrus sighed. "Great."

The turian then turned and approached the office door. He slowly reached his lean hands towards the control panel when he heard a sharp yell. "Don't!"

Gardner was apparently more concerned about the two aliens' actions than the ominously bubbling 'krogan gumbo' recipe he was making for lunch. He gave a flailing wave, beckoning the pair to his cooking counter. His station was laden with random chunks of food and unidentified puddles of liquids, but the cook appeared far more alarmed about Garrus and Mordin than his own mess.

Gardner cringed as they approached, lowering his voice ominously. "Pardon my French but there is some serious shit going on in her office."

"Gardner would know," came a foreign drawl. Garrus turned to see Ken from engineering further down the counter. "He can't cook worth a vorcha's ass, but the guy hears everything. I can't take a piss without him knowing."

Garnder laughed. "Yeah, mostly because you miss the seat."

Mordin shook his head in disapproval. "Human social interactions fascinating, but really must get lab unlocked. Samples open, subject to contamination!" He shuddered in fear.

Gardner smiled. "I'd wait. Jacob went in five minutes ago, and that only leads to two things. Fights and…other stuff." He winked to clarify the latter half of his sentence.

Mordin glanced back towards Miranda's office. "Most unprofessional," the salarian grumbled. However, the thought of interrupting Miranda and Jacob, in whatever capacity, seemed enough to keep both Mordin and Garrus in place.

Silence grew between the two aliens as the cook turned back to the orange, lumped monstrosity that was his krogan gumbo. Not that the salarian was ever quiet for long. Soon, the Mordin darted his large eyes along the length of the counter, inspecting his and Garrus' distance to the other crewmembers. Approving of their relative isolation, he then turned to turian, asking simply, "So, how is the chaffing?"

Garrus cocked his head. "Chaffing?" he repeated, puzzled.

Mordin chirped, almost pleased with himself. "Yes, human skin more sensitive than turians'."

Garrus' mandibles opened in shock, but the salarian was hardly fazed as he continued. "Using lubrication?" he asked bluntly. He then opened his lengthy white lab coat, digging vigorously into the pockets. "Might have a bottle with me you can take."

"No! Stop!" Garrus hastily interrupted, blue eyes widening. He could feel a nervous sweat starting, and he glanced about wearily to see if anyone had caught their 'lube' exchange. Apparently not, as Ken was turned away toward his engineering buddy, Gabby, and Gardner continued to casually stir his stew.

Another awkward silence grew, but Garrus was compelled both by curiosity and disgust to ask the inevitable question. "Why the hell are you carrying a bottle of _that_ around anyway?"

Mordin paused, growing a large smile which threatened to reach all the way up to his eyes. "The lubrication? Use it during probing. Reduces friction when inserting the device."

"I see," Garrus said, wringing his hands uncomfortably at the thought of being 'probed'.

Mordin watched the gesture, and his bulbous eyes became fixed on Garrus' bare hand. He quickly pointed at it. "Why is hand exposed? Having allergic reaction to Shepard?"

"What? No!" Garrus exclaimed, as he folded his arms to hide his naked hand. The salarian stared intractably at him, so he elaborated. "I just lost my glove, alright?"

Mordin was not deterred by the Garrus' obvious embarrassment. In fact, he opened his lab coat once more, revealing a small datapad inside. He scrolled down casually. "Interesting. Would like to take this opportunity to ask a few more questions, if I may. Purely professional." Garrus opened his mouth in protest, but it was for naught as Mordin continued. "Any issues copulating with a human? Size? Texture? Duration? Intensity?"

Garrus was visibly appalled. "I'm not answering that!"

The salarian scoffed. "What? Take medical responsibilities seriously! ...And was considering publishing paper on the matter."

Garrus almost laughed. "You've got to be kidding."

The doctor shrugged nonchalantly. "Would keep names anonymous. You'd be subject alpha, Shepard subject beta." He raised his voice in excitement. "Think about it! First case study on human/turian coupling, could make cover of prominent scientific journal!"

Garrus recoiled as if hit by a biotic blast. "Changing our names won't help! Everyone knows about me and Shepard!" He then paused sheepishly, realizing just how loud his last remark was.

Gardner turned from stirring his gumbo, casually adding, "Yeah, it's true."

Mordin raised his slender finger in counterpoint. "Everyone on ship, yes. Not everyone in whole galaxy."

As if on cue, Joker chimed in on the overhead. "Hey guys, Shepard's on TV! Channel four!"

Gardner obediently turned to his personal terminal next to the stove, flashing the device on. A horribly familiar reporter popped on the screen. "Khalisah bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News, live from the Citadel docks."

Garrus' lungs tighened, and he fought to breathe. Was this what he thought it was? Impossible, he'd left Shepard minutes ago!

"I just had a very interesting talk with human specter and Citadel hero Commander Shepard… about her career and her latest _man_." She smiled wickedly at that last word. "Here is what she had to say."

Garrus' voice dropped. "Oh... crap."


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Only one chapter left to go! _

**Chapter Fourteen: Hannah Shepard**

Shepard may have been the one who'd been resurrected, but as Garrus watched Shepard's interview he looked rather like a zombie.

At first his instincts had screamed to flee when al-Jilani's infamous face popped up on Gardner's terminal. He felt like he was trapped on Omega again, unable to even hide in the gun battery. He soon saw Jacob plod sluggishly out of Miranda's office, apparently still reeling from a spat (not...'other things') with the XO. This offered the turian a timely, if cowardly, excuse to escape the mess hall to the safety of Miranda's room. But Garrus hesitated, for whatever reason, and as the dining crewmembers abandoned their meals and closed in around Gardner's terminal to watch Shepard's interview, he forced himself to stay and face what was to come.

Jacob perked up as he saw the commotion at Gardner's station and somehow managed to eel his way through the crowd. He squeezed his tall body in-between Garrus and Mordin at the cooking counter. "What's going on?" he asked a bit sulkily.

The turian's eyes were glued to the screen and he didn't respond. Al-Jilani was asking about Ceberus. Was their relationship safe after all?

He heard Mordin chime in to Jacob's query. "Interview with Shepard. Recent. This morning. Reporter just asked about Cerberus. Interested to hear Shepard's response. Political ramifications."

Jacob just gave a mild "Huh," and watched beside Garrus. Having the ex-Alliance soldier so nearby irked the turian for no obvious reason.

Garrus saw Shepard respond calmly on the terminal screen, but his mind was a broiling haze, and he didn't process her words.

Whatever she'd said must have been as pointed as the reporter's grilling, for the mess hall crew cheered as if watching a sporting event.

The reporter continued jabbing Shepard about Cerberus, adding in something about the council, but Garrus had a hard time hearing over his panting breaths. Nothing about him so far. Maybe Shepard had worried for nothing, maybe al-Jilani didn't know. Maybe Shepard was wrong.

But such an event was rare, and not destined to occur today.

Shepard had begun backing away, clearly finished, but the reporter wasn't. Garrus lurched as he heard the words he'd been dreading ooze out of al-Jilani's smooth lips. "I just have one more question. A _personal_ one."

Jacob cocked his hips, pleased. "Dirt on Shepard. This ought to be good."

Mordin added. "Note Shepard. Flushed cheeks, gritted teeth, tensed muscles. Defensive posturing. Seen similar displays in krogan mating rituals. Wonder if she will strike reporter."

Jacob smirked. "A catfight? That would make my day."

Garrus wasn't listening, instead hypnotized by the screen. Then, cold anxiety shot through his veins as the reporter continued.

"We have reports that you've become intimate… with a turian."

Everyone in the mess hall turned towards Garrus as al-Jilani said his name. He growled a low curse. "Shittt."

* * *

Hannah Shepard was seated at the very table Nassana Dantius had once parked herself years ago when she'd asked for Shepard's help to 'rescue' her sister. Shepard scowled. In her humble opinion, that table was now cursed.

But her frown quickly transformed into a warm smile as her mother arose and embraced her. Despite their age difference, they were nearly identical in stature and posture. From afar, the two may have appeared as sisters. Even the facial similarities were striking, minus the age and hair.

Hannah released the hug, taking a step back to inspect her child with soft eyes. "You don't look half bad for someone who supposedly used the Omega-4 relay," she said mischievously, a friendly smile lighting her face.

Shepard grinned through clenched teeth. Her mom knew what she was up to. Naturally. She tried to hide her dread as she seated herself. "How much do you know?" Shepard asked lightly.

Hannah's aged eyes twinkled as she sat and leaned back in her chair. "Only that you were revived by Cerberus and helped them stop the collector attacks in the Terminus system. That about right?"

Shepard felt her dread slip away. Her mother didn't exactly voice approval of her daughter's actions, but she didn't seem angry either. "Yeah," Shepard replied gently, "though I'm not with them anymore. I hope you won't disown me."

Hannah's crinkled lips twisted into a smirk as she placed her aged hands over her childs'. "If anyone could find a good reason to join Cerberus it would be you. Besides, if Cerberus really did bring you back, then they've done something _right _after all."

They both smiled at each other in warm silence. But Shepard's curiosity got the better of her. "How did you know all that?" she asked.

"Your father used to be drinking buddies with Admiral Hackett, and your _friend_, Commander Alenko, forwarded me his Horizon report."

Uh oh.

Hannah Shepard was many things to many people. But to Shepard, she was a mother. A mother who sometimes asked "motherly" questions. Both Hannah and Shepard knew where this conversation was headed, but Shepard patiently waited for the unavoidable exchange to occur. "Alenko seems like a nice young man," Hannah said tactfully.

Shepard just mumbled a "Yeah."

Hannah stared her daughter down for several seconds. "He used to be stationed on you ship, right?"

"Yeah."

Then came the predictable question, one not often asked by Hannah. Her daughter was historically too ambitious to have much of a personal life. But in this case… "Were you two…?"

Shepard curtly cut her off to kill any ideas brewing in her mother's mind. "Not anymore. I'm with someone else."

That was not the answer Hannah had been expecting. Her daughter had gone from no men, to two? "Who?"

Shepard looked her mother straight in the eyes."His name is Garrus. He was on the Normandy-1 as well. He's now with me on the Normandy-2."

Hannah was confused. She was well connected in the Alliance, but she'd never heard of a soldier named 'Garrus'. "I've never heard of him," she said questioningly.

Shepard didn't hesitate. "That's because he's a turian."

* * *

"Ohhh!"

The mess hall crowd gave a group groan as al-Jilani brought up the First Contact War to Shepard.

"Yeah!"

They then cheered as Shepard bit back.

Garrus, however, didn't respond. He looked as if he'd been hit by a concussive shot.

This was how the rest of the interview played out, with collective 'oohs' and 'aahs' as Shepard and the reporter exchanged poisonous words. Garrus was completely still, simply overloaded by the multitude of emotions churning within him.

Obviously, the turian was embarrassed. He'd gone from an unknown ex-C-Sec agent to Shepard's public lover in the span of a few minutes, and was discovering this disconcerting information in front of a dozen humans and one prying salarian. There was also fuming anger over al-Jilani's gall. She not only accused Shepard of betraying humanity by sleeping with him, but of also having a Fornax-like lust for aliens.

And then, there was the far subtler, strangely warm emotion that tugged at Garrus. Shepard had not only chosen him over all others, but was willing to publicly admit her choice when she could have just as easily denied it. After all, there were thousands of rumors floating about her. She could have brushed the 'turian lover' rumor off as easily as the report that she was a clone or robot. But she didn't. She affirmed her relations with him, and defended her choice to the entire galaxy. Garrus Vakarian was pretty damn honored.

"…Yet here I am, in the Citadel, the supposed social and cultural hub of the galaxy, and I find bigots like you. How ironic, and quite frankly, sad." Shepard spat those final words to al-Jilani before storming off. The mess hall crowd, Mordin included, gave a happy laugh and a pleased applause, as if watching a comedy routine. Even Garrus reacted, shaking his head humbly. Shepard was one hell of a woman. He better remember that.

As the news report ended, with al-Jilani giving a few hissy 'post-interview' comments, Mordin turned towards him. "Appears I stand corrected," the salarian began. "_Now_ entire galaxy knows about your mating practices with Shepard." He sighed. "Suppose it would be unethical to perform my case study now. Shame. Human/turian copulation is rare."

Jacob then gave Garrus a hearty pat on his shoulder. "The council is going to have a hard time making any claims that Shepard's anti-alien now," the ex-Cerberus crewmember commented through amused lips. He nodded in approval. "Glad it's all out in the open. Of course, now whenever Shepard gets in a bad mood we'll blame you."

Garrus turned, and looked at the human askance. "Just like how we blame you for Miranda's temper?" the turian retorted.

Jacob gave a large grin. Maybe these Cerberus types weren't so bad after all.

Perhaps her genetic build gave her acute hearing, but seconds after Garrus muttered Miranda's name he could hear her boots click from her office. The dark-haired woman appeared around the corner, blue eyes squared directly at the turian. "Garrus," she said coolly, "I'd like to see you in my office." She then briskly re-entered her room.

"Great," Garrus muttered to himself as he left Gardner's counter and walked to her office . He and Miranda weren't exactly enemies, but they sure weren't on friendly terms. That was the first time in weeks that she even deigned to say his name.

Something inside Garrus riled him. It was very possible that Miranda had seen Shepard's interview and wanted to confront him. No doubt she disapproved. Well, he was ready for her. If Shepard could defend their relationship to the entire galaxy, he sure as hell would defend their relationship against one condescending XO.

* * *

Hannah Shepard was quiet.

Finally, she raised her thin gray brow. "You're serious?" she asked almost jokingly, her shrewd eyes gauging her daughter.

Shepard's eyes met her mothers', and softened. "Yes."

Hannah brought her hand to her chin, as if contemplating some deep philosophical theory before replying. "You're with a _turian_?"

Shepard was persistent. "Yes."

Hannah's mouth inched open, as she mumbled, "Well that's… something." Her face then steeled. "Tell me about you two," she said bluntly. It was an order.

Shepard lowered her gaze, allowing the memories to flood her. "He's ex-C-sec. He joined my crew when I went after Saren." She gave a sad smile. "We became friends."

Her mother's eyes were stubbornly still, focused on her child. She rather looked like a judge, presiding over some court case. Shepard was the defendant.

Shepard continued. "After Cerberus rebuilt me, he joined me again, even though going after the Collectors was practically a death wish, and Cerberus wasn't too fond of aliens." The memories gave her courage to continue. "I've come to care for him. He's been good to me."

Finally, Hannah's neutral face broke. She beamed at her daughter. "I'm glad someone on that ship is watching out for you," she said quietly.

Shepard leaned in, curious. "So you're okay with this?"

"Of course." Hannah used almost the same words she'd just muttered to describe Kaidan. "He sounds like a nice young man."

Despite her mother's approval, a weight sank in Shepard's gut. "What about dad?" she asked slowly.

Hannah shrugged as she nonchalantly sipped her drink. "You remember how your father used to handle you when you were a child. He'll get spun up, then he'll have a beer off-duty and realize whatever you did wasn't such a big deal after all."

Shepard wasn't convinced. "This isn't quite the same as that time I flushed his omni-tool down the toilet. He did fight the turians after all."

"I'll talk to him," Hannah replied easily. "Give him a few days, then contact him. I guarantee you he'll already be past it and stressing over something new and completely unrelated."

Before Hannah could suggest meeting Shepard's new turian lover, the elderly woman's communicator (luckily) beeped. "Oh great," Hannah groaned as she glanced over the message on her device. "One of our bulkheads ripped while we were installing new plating. I have to go, honey." They stood and embraced. "Take care."

Her mom walked off with purpose, but Shepard called out to her. "Hey mom?"

She stopped and turned. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"We love you honey."

Shepard then reseated herself, looking through her food as she reveled in her mother's suprising support. But the moment passed quickly as her own communicator rang. "Now what?" she grumbled.

The caller ID said 'Anderson.' She cursed. Anything to do with the council was historically bad news for her, but she answered none-the-less. "Shepard here."

"Shepard, it's Anderson. A slew of deep-space probes have gone dark in the last hour, but a few managed to capture images of reaper-like ships." His voice grew grave. "They're coming Shepard. I realize your crew is still on shore leave, but I think now is the best time to present your evidence on the reapers. Can you get ready and head to the council chambers by 1500 today?"

Shepard swallowed. It was time. She wasn't ready, but she supposed she never really would be. "Yes sir. I'll be there."


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: I wasn't able to squeeze everything into this last chaper so I'm going to add an epilogue. With all of the great comments/ suggestions from the reviewers I just couldn't fit everything into 15 chapters! I figured I'd give Shepard one last encounter before I wrap everything up, I hope you like it :)_

**Chapter Fifteen: Before the Storm**

Miranda stood confidently behind her desk as Garrus entered. She beckoned him with an elegant wave of her arm to be seated, but the turian stood firmly, responding only with a blunt, "I'd prefer to stand."

Something flickered in Miranda's eyes, but she said simply, "Your choice." She didn't seat herself either.

For a few seconds, there was silence as the two sized each other up, like opponents in a fighting ring. Garrus waited for the woman to make the next move. She did so slowly, almost hesitantly.

"Mister Vakarian," she began, as she walked about her desk. "You and I haven't really had the opportunity to talk before." That was a lie. They'd been on missions together, and their respective stations were only a short stroll apart. There were plenty of times that they could have talked, but they didn't. Garrus supposed that was partially his fault, but _she_ was the XO. It was her duty, as second-in-command, to get to know her crew. If she wasn't going to bother, neither would he.

Garrus stayed silent and still as Miranda continued with a frown. "I suppose I'm to blame for that."

Garrus tilted his head, intrigued. He knew enough about Miranda to know of her arrogance. Such a self-admission was…surprising.

She smirked at him as she elaborated. "I thought you were a liability when you first joined. It was immediately apparent that you and Shepard had a history and that she was…fond of to you. I thought such emotional attachments could compromise the mission." She paused, and her cheeks grew pink. "And I suppose I resented you, to an extent. She trusted you far more than she ever trusted me, even though I was supposed to be her XO."

The cynical glare in Garrus' eyes faded. This wasn't the confrontation he was expecting. He asked simply, "What are you getting at?"

Her icy features thawed. "I was wrong about you Garrus. You've been an asset to this team, and to the mission. I apologize for not acknowledging that."

Garrus let her words settle in his mind. Then, gradually, he took a few steps forward, and extended his arm to her. "No hard feelings," he said calmly.

Miranda shook his hand with a genial smile. He was surprised by her strength.

He was about to turn to leave, when the woman abruptly spoke. "Oh, one more thing." Miranda bent over to her desk and grabbed a dark piece of cloth out of a drawer. His glove. "I found this in the elevator this morning. I think it belongs to you."

It was a peace offering, and he took it. "Thanks." Confusion set in. "Why did you take it?"

Miranda shrugged. "I figured you and Shepard wouldn't want the crew getting any ideas about what you two were up to." She grinned. "Though it looks like the word's out now with that piss ass reporter, eh?"

"Yeah," Garrus agreed genially, but her answer only made new questions brew in the turian's mind. "How did you find out about…us?"

"A woman's intuition, I suppose." She bit her plump lip. "...And the monitoring systems at your station helped. Don't worry, though, I disabled them when we quit Cerberus."

He shook his head, embarrassed for the hundredth time today. His mind began to race as he wondered if Shepard's _room_ was being monitored, but his thoughts were interrupted when Miranda's communicator beeped. The XO gave him a confused look, and halted his exit with her hand. "Commander?"

Shepard sounded grim across the device. "Hey Miranda, I just got a call from Anderson. He wants me to present the reaper evidence _today_. Do what you can to assemble the crew and get the ship battle ready."

"Are we expecting a fight?"

"I did have to hijack my ship the last time I tried to warn the council about the reapers. I'm on my way."

* * *

Sure, the Normandy was in chaos, but Garrus was pretty damn happy.

Shepard was busy organizing the reaper evidence with Mordin, and Miranda was calling up the remaining crew members, so they entrusted _him_ to head down to engineering and oversee the final repairs. Shepard had naturally recommended him for the job, but surprisingly Miranda approved of the idea. He had no clue what the galaxy's reaction was concerning him and Shepard, but the revelation seemed to have actually improved his relations with the Normandy crew.

He rather felt like a negotiator as the engineers exchanged ideas.

"Aft shields are still only at 84% capacity," informed Gabby as she typed with inhuman speed at her console.

"Rerouting power from the forward shields could boost the aft shield's energy output," suggested Tali.

"Possibility of energy reduction in forward shields if Creator-Tali's suggestion executed," informed Legion.

They turned to Garrus. He shrugged diplomatically, and spoke neturally. "See if you can get the aft shields to at least 90% without affecting the forward shields. That way we're not completely screwed if we get hit from behind."

"We find Vakarian-Garrus' submission satisfactory," said Legion.

"Alright, let's give it a try," said Tali.

Garrus checked his omni-tool. 1415. Shepard told him, Thane, and Mordin to meet her in the CIC by the galaxy map at 1430 so they could get to the council chambers on time, and present their evidence as a group.

But Garrus knew Shepard. She was always early when it came to important missions. Hell, she was probably already waiting for them.

He addressed the engineers. "I've got to go. You guys got it from here?"

"Affirmative," confirmed Legion.

"Good luck, Garrus," wished Tali.

"Thanks."

At 1420, the horribly slow elevator brought Garrus to the CIC. Mordin and Thane were already there, waiting by the galaxy map, but Shepard was nowhere to be seen. He approached the other two aliens cautiously.

"Where's Shepard?" he asked.

"Don't know," chirped Mordin. "Finished reviewing reaper evidence with her ten minutes ago. Haven't seen her since. Assumed she was occupied mating with you."

Garrus stepped back, both flustered by Mordin and confused by Shepard's actions. "Err no, I was down in engineering." Mordin didn't look convinced so he continued. "I was overseeing repairs. With the _engineers_."

The three looked at one another, puzzled, unsure of what to do.

Naturally, Kelly was eavesdropping and turned from her station to chime in. "The commander stopped by her personal terminal a few minutes ago." She pointed to the metal machine across from her own station. "I think she read something important, because she ran into the elevator faster than a battle-charging krogan."

Strange. Had Anderson contacted her again? Garrus called for the ship AI. "EDI, where is Shepard?" he asked, trying to mask his concern with curiosity.

EDI responded quickly. "Commander Shepard is currently in her quarters."

Thane spoke to the turian. "You should go to her."

Mordin nodded. "Agreed. Message appears to have distracted Shepard. Bad timing. Will need to be fully attentive during council meeting. Sexual intercourse may assist in clearing her mind."

Garrus scoffed. "We don't have time for _that!_"

Mordin looked suprised. "Really? Thought ten minutes would be sufficient time to complete act. How long do turian/human copulations typically last?"

Luckily Thane interrupted. "Something weighs on her mind." He repeated himself. "Go to her."

Garrus slowly nodded. "Alright." He turned and quickly took the elevator to Shepard's cabin.

* * *

Garrus heard voices inside her room.

He waited outside, leaning closer to the door to hear.

He heard Shepard's voice. It was strained, pleading even. "I can't meet you."

At first the only reply was soft static, a sign that Shepard was talking to someone via her communicator. After a delay, male's a deep, grainy voice responded, though the communicator didn't project the voice well through the doors, and Garrus could only make out some of the speaker's words. "_Please_...saved me in Orbital Lounge...no one else to turn to... C-Sec wouldn't take me." The male's voice grew loud, and Garrus could now hear every word. "I know you're Commander Shepard. I saw your interview. Can't you help me?"

Garrus' throat tightened. His fists clenched into tight balls. He hated that he knew that voice. _Sidonis._

So that was why Shepard ran to her room. Somehow Sidonis had managed to send her a message.

Shepard walked deeper into her room and Garrus could barely make out her words. "...can't contact me… _Garrus _finds out…"

Impulsively, Garrus opened the door to her room. He _had_ to know what the hell was going on between those two. The conversation between his former Omega teammate and his current Commander was so heated that Shepard didn't hear him enter. She was now at the far end of her room, pacing anxiously by her bed. Garrus shook with animalistic rage, and he was sorely tempted to confront her on the spot.

But something within stopped him. Instead he slinked back into Shepard's bathroom to remain unseen while he listened in. He wouldn't interrupt them. Yet.

Sidnois chocked. "Please…I don't know what to do…" Garrus hadn't heard such a hopeless, defeated voice since he worked at C-Sec. It was like that of a young asari who'd put a gun to her head in the middle of the Wards while he was patrolling and had threatened to pull the trigger. That encounter… didn't end well.

In turian culture suicide was considered to be dishonorable, craven, weak. But Sidnois was already all of those things. A disgraceful end to his pathetic life would be fitting, Garrus thought bitterly.

Shepard sensed Sidonis' desperation, and hastily responded. "Try to make up for what happened on Omega. Do something _good_, anything…"

Sidonis' voice cracked. "Like what? I can't fight. I'm a fucking coward."

Shepard was persistent. "Then something else. Charity work, I don't know." She turned her head anxiously towards the door, still unaware of Garrus' presence. "Look, I have to go."

Sidonis sounded crushed. "You should have let Garrus kill me."

Shepard rolled her eyes and cursed. She took a few moments to consider Sidonis' plea and a vague idea sprang to her mind. It may not have been the best solution for him, but it was something. "Look, I know a woman on Omega, her name's Helena Blake. She's a social worker there and I'm sure she could find something constructive for you to do. I can try and arrange for you to work with her, if you'd like."

Sidonis hardly sounded convinced by Shepard's plan. "Okay…"

Shepard sighed. "Look, this way you can help people without getting killed or captured by mercs, and I'm sure she could use some help. Plus you already know the ins and outs of Omega. You'd be an asset."

Sidnois' voice, for the first time during the conversation, raised a hopeful octave. "Alright." But he paused, and dread quickly seeped back into his voice. "Is Garrus going to come after me again?"

Shepard replied confidently, "Not if you show him you're making something of yourself. I have to go." She closed the communicator and exhaled noisily. She then trudged to her desk and bent over it as if she'd been punched in the gut.

Garrus stepped out of her bathroom and she whisked around, bewildered. Her eyes danced with dismay and she scowled deeply. "How much of that did you hear?"

Garrus' voice was low and tense. "Enough to figure out that you were talking to Sidonis."

Her eyes lowered guilty. "He sent me a message. He was desperate. I had to help him… For both of you."

She turned away, unable to face him. Was she doing the right thing? Hell, she didn't know anymore.

She heard him approach from behind her, and he stood just far enough away that they weren't touching. His breath was hot against her neck, but his labored panting eventually started to slow. Then, gently, his lean arms encircled her waist as he nuzzled his head against her neck. Despite their armor, it felt so right, and the searing rage in Garrus' mind began to clear. He calmly considered the exchange he just heard.

His mandible tickled her sensitive skin as he said the words she yearned to hear. "You did the right thing."

Shepard shivered, and she closed her eyes. "I'm glad to hear you say that."

They stayed this way for a minute, before Shepard finally broke off. "It's time to go," she muttered.

His voice grew tender as tugged at her arm, turning her to face him. "I'm here for you Shepard. We all are. You're not going into this alone."

Shepard shook her head, "The council won't believe me."

Garrus' blue eyes gleamed. "About the 'reapers'?" he asked jokingly, flicking his thin fingers into quotes as he mimicked the turian councilor.

Garrus' teasing gave the intended result. Shepard smiled. "Yeah, well, at least I have some leverage against that particular councilor," she said vaguely.

Garrus searched her triumphant face for answers. "What do you mean?"

She pointed to an object on her desk. "Liara sent me holos of him. He was..err.. _enkindling _with a hanar, if you know what I mean. Naked."

Garrus chortled as the oppressive air in Shepard's room faded away. "Well that's… something."

Shepard smirked. "You can bet your ass that if he criticizes our 'interspecies relations', I'll whip those holos out before he can manage a sneer."

Garrus let out an amused grunt. "Hmph."

"What?"

"You look good when you're angry."

Shepard beamed. "I'm sure I'll be fuming by _tonight_. In the meantime, we've got a galaxy to save."

"Right behind you."


	16. Epilogue

_A/N: I'm finally at the end of this story, I'm sad it's over! I had a blast writing it, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it. Thanks to everyone who has been following along (and especially to my reviewers, I hadn't even thought of some of the parts to this story before your great comments!). I'll be gone for a few weeks, but I already have a one-shot I'm planning on writing and then maybe another story :)_

**Epilogue**

A human specter; a turian vigilante; a drell assassin, a salarian doctor.

The four were a formidable presence as they walked through the Citadel. The security officers didn't even hassle them over their weapons or identification. They knew that was Shepard and her crew. And clearly, from their brisk gait, they were on a mission.

The crowds in the Wards parted like a sea of insects as the Normandy crewmembers passed through. Though space was tight, the populace gave Shepard's group a generously wide berth. This slowed foot traffic significantly, and many on-lookers gawked at the gun wielding, multi-species entourage. The name "Shepard" floated about like a vague apparition.

Shepard, Garrus, Mordin, and Thane finally settled at the end of a lengthy line for the Presidium-bound transit station. A few nervous line-goers offered Shepard's group their respective positions in line, but the commander (contadictory to her threatening, clearly deadly array of firearms) gave a friendly smile and quietly refused. She then turned and listened to her companions' banter, despite the growing clusters of bystanders eagerly watching her.

Mordin was feverishly discussing Keplar's Syndrome with Thane.

"Would like to run some tests. Have a feeling I could cure it- before you die even!" Mordin tugged at his lab coat with confidence. "Work well under pressure."

Thane tried not to look annoyed and kept his voice even. "Your medical skills are indeed apt, but the hanar have attempted to produce a cure for years, to no avail."

Mordin scoffed. "Bah! Hanar too slow. Ever try to converse with one?" Thane sighed. He was raised on the hanar homeworld, of course he'd talked to them. "Could give an elcor a thorough colonoscopy in time it takes for one hanar to finish single sentence! Polite species, but can't think on their feet." He paused. "Actually, don't even have feet!"

Mordin's banter gave Shepard and Garrus a few blessed seconds of peace. Garrus was quiet as he stared uneasily at the ground, very much aware that _his _name was now being muttered by the on-lookers.

Not that Shepard cared about the scene they were making. She turned to him with a strange expression on her face. As he slowly raised his head to meet her gaze, he couldn't quite tell if she was excited, amused, or nervous. Maybe all three. Slowly, her lips parted.

"Move in with me."

Nervousness tickled his heart. "What do you mean?"

Shepard put her slim hands on her hips suggestively. "I've seduced you into my bed, now I aim to keep you there."

He gladly played into her banter and felt his anxiety slip away. "Hmm...Like a trophy?"

She laughed heartily. It felt good. "More like a pet. You'll go right next to my fish tank."

His blue eyes gauged hers, searching for answers. "You're serious about this?"

Her voice held suprising emotion. "Of course… but only if you want this too."

Couldn't Shepard tell how much he needed her? Wasn't he obvious? "Shepard… I've only learned one thing in this whole twisted galaxy: That life without you sucks. So yeah, let's do it."

Shepard clutched his hand. She didn't care about the bystanders anymore.

* * *

The ruckus Shepard was causing in the Wards had caught the attention of several familiar faces, such as that of Kaidan Alenko.

His new girlfriend was far more feminine than Shepard had ever been. Today, the fair-haired doctor was shopping, and Kaidan was the designated 'bag holder'. He felt particularly silly, as he was dressed in his bulky black armor yet carrying emasculate large pink shopping bags. It was a bit degrading, but he had time to kill anyway. Anderson had ordered him to present his Horizon report to the council to back up Shepard's evidence, but that still wasn't for a half hour. Plus his new girlfriend had been calling (and calling!) lately, so he eventually gave in and agreed to shop with her. Watching the carefree doctor bounce from store to store was numbingly boring, and he still wasn't sure how he felt about his new female 'friend', but she got him out of his apartment which was probably a good thing.

Besides, he needed to get that kiss with Shepard out of his head.

And, just as Shepard's name struck his mind his blonde acquaintance trotted up to him, her light eyes twinkling in excitement. "Kaidan, Shepard's here! In the Wards!"

He recoiled, causing the shopping bags to shake about rather unceremoniously. He sincerely hoped that his girlfriend wasn't planning on _meeting _Shepard. He'd only told the peppy doctor that he'd served with Shepard on the SR-1. He never told her entire truth; that he'd once loved Shepard (and still did?). He never even told her about Horizon or, god forbid, his reunion with Shepard in the café yesterday. He felt sick and spineless for keeping the truth from his new girlfriend, but even now he kept his mouth shut.

He'd made up a thousand excuses as to why he continued to hide the truth from the blissfully ignorant doctor. When he thought Shepard was dead it was so as not to dishonor the commander's memory with rumors of fraternization. After Horizon he was just too damned angry. Now, it simply seemed too late.

The doctor wasn't lying. There Shepard was, in all of her armored glory, waiting in line for a transport with Garrus and other aliens in tow. She was talking to Garrus. And laughing. He hadn't seen her laugh in over two years. That laugh still haunted his dreams.

Then he saw her grab Garrus' hand. He had trouble swallowing.

His girlfriend didn't notice Kaidan's reaction, and instead sighed dreamily. "That must be the turian she's dating. They seem really happy together."

Kaidan scowled deeply, and the corners of his mouth nearly reached his chin. "Yeah."

The fair woman turned to him, sighing happily. "What was it like serving with her?"

Kaidan bowed his head. Part of him wanted to drop his shopping bags and go after Shepard. He knew in that café that there was still something between them, as adamant as Shepard was to end their relationship…But Shepard had made her choice. And Garrus was a respectable turian. No, Kaidan would take her rejection like a man. He'd leave them be.

Finally, Kaidan answered the doctor's question. "Serving with Shepard was an honor."

* * *

Tabal Lacker was ever a creature of purpose, of intent, but even she paused when she saw Shepard and Garrus chatting happily while waiting for a transport. She glared as if trying to make the two melt with her eyes.

The cuffed salarian suspect she was hauling looked up miserably at her, but she ignored him. Pity was not an emotion she ever indulged in. This young salarian had been spotted by several witnesses shoplifting some very pricey star charts (only a few stores down from the boutique where Kaidan's girlfriend had been shopping), and Tabal had been called to the scene. The turian female was agile and strong, and took the salarian down with little trouble. Bailey ordered her to bring the thief into one of the interrogation rooms, but the sight of Shepard and her crew erased Tabal's memory for the moment.

Shepard grabbed Garrus' hand. Tabal snarled. The thin salarian shuddered, then looked at the scene that had caught the female turian's attention. "Hey, that's Commander Shepard!" the thief squealed, temporarily forgetting his predicament. "She's going out with that turian, you know. Garrus, I think his name is. They're the first public human/turian couple, isn't that cool? I was just talking with my cousin about it. He's a producer, you know. He actually wants to make a movie about it! "

Tabal nudged the suspect agitatedly. "Shut up."

But before the turian hauled her suspect away, she took once last glance at the pair. Her brain still boiled at the thought that Garrus had rejected her- Tabal!- for a _human_. It was insulting, degrading even. Tabal had really hoped to get back at Garrus by going to Westerlund News. But she hadn't taken Shepard into account…that human specter was wily and tough, if her interview with al-Jinali proved anything. Tabal had underestimated her.

She looked the commander over. Shepard was shorter than herself, but appeared sturdy and confident even under her many weapons and hefty armor. She was just a human, but there was a fire in her eyes, a power in her movements. Something told Tabal that she didn't want to cause too much trouble with her.

So she would leave the happy couple alone, for the time being.

* * *

The shuttle ride to the Presidium was short but relatively quiet. Not that Mordin could stay silent for too long. As the shuttle landed and they exited, his large head bobbed in the commander's direction. "Shepard. Question."

"Hm?" She and the others started walking, all collectively tired of Mordin's rants, but the salarian either didn't notice or didn't care. He quickly caught up and continued.

"Curious about one thing. Your prior mate, forget his name… met him on Horizon, dark brooding fellow…"

Shepard's brow arched and she unconsciously started walking a bit faster, as did Garrus beside her. "Kaidan?"

Mordin took a few long strides and snaked up beside her as poor Thane got stuck in the back of the group. "Yes, he was human, yet now mating with a turian. Intruiging shift in sexual companions. Curious…ever romanced other species before Garrus?"

Shepard gave an impish grin and slowed her gait down, apparently willing to indulge the good doctor. "Well, there was this _one_ guy." Garrus threw an inquisitive look her way.

Mordin persisted, as she knew he would. "Non-human?"

"Yep, he was a turian too. Talk about a _real_ dark and broody fellow. He was moody and ruthless at the best of times, and even claimed to hate humans. I think it was all pent up sexual frustration myself."

Mordin's large pupil's dilated and he almost stopped walking altogether for a second. "And despite this you _mated_ with him?"

She turned at Garrus and grinned, as if she were conversing with the turian instead. "I'd call it more like 'sparring' myself. You see, he kept saying how he wanted to put my kind in its place, and well, I was having none of that. Up until the end, our little matches kept ending up in draws. You see, he had reach, but I had flexibility." The group halted outside a large ivory door as Shepard summoned the elevator leading to the Presidium Tower and council chambers. She pointed up to the towering spire in front of them. "We held our tiebreaker in this very tower." Garrus gave an amused laugh, finally understanding, before she finished. "I won, naturally."

Mordin stared at Shepard for a few long seconds. It was blessedly quiet for a while, before he finally answered. "Wait… are you discussing Saren Arterius?"

Shepard just smiled.

"You are eliciting some kind of humorous jibe, are you not?"

"Consider it payback for our chaffing discussion."

Mordin smirked. "Fair enough, Shepard."

Thane simply shook his head at the conversation, but Garrus turned to Shepard and chuckled. "I bet Saren just rolled in his grave."

Shepard shrugged. "Eh, he turned into dust after that final battle. I'm not too worried about it."

At that moment, the sleek elevator arrived, and the four got in.

* * *

Many of the Presidium apartments had luxurious lobbies upon which the residents socialized, read, worked, or merely looked out through the massive windows to the impressive, lush view. It was the first time Garrus' father spent time in it. Usually he ridiculed such a purposeless room, but today it would serve an important function. Reconnaissance.

The old turian received a ping from his terminal as Shepard and Garrus passed through the security in the Wards, then another ping when they activated a transport to the Presidium. Luckily for him, the shuttle's landing pad was within eyesight from his apartment.

And, as expected, he saw Shepard, his son, and a few other aliens exit the vehicle and walk casually past his apartment's lobby.

Shepard appeared relatively at ease. She was talking to the salarian in her group, but the aged turian didn't miss the way his son stole several obvious glances at the human female beside him, or the way Garrus walked animatedly with some kind of hidden excitement fueling his gait. He'd never seen his son act that way before.

Officer Vakarian sighed. What happened to Garrus? When had it all gone so awry? He'd tried to do right by his son; to teach him traditional turian values, to provide him with an honorable job at C-Sec, to discourage Garrus' reckless outbursts and desires. Yet somewhere along the way, it had all backfired miserably. Now Garrus was as hasty and uncontrollable as the humans he worked with… hell, he was even publicly courting one. No doubt a great many turians would now spit at the Vakarian name, at Garrus' name.

So why did his son look so damn happy? It was all so wrong…

But Shepard had been right about one thing. It was too late. Officer Vakarian had wanted so much more for his son, but it was too damned late.

He looked at Garrus one last time before he retreated back into the darkness of his apartment. His son was a ways away now, standing close to Shepard as their group waited for an elevator. And he was laughing. Individual happiness was not held in high regard in turian culture, but Officer Vakarian supposed it was _something_…

Something he'd never really taken into consideration before.

* * *

Khalisah bint Sinan al-Jilani hid as she saw Shepard pass through the Presidium.

She wasn't afraid of Shepard, per se (though she had the feeling that the commander wouldn't be against decking her in the face), but her boss _forbade_ her from interviewing the human specter. Ever again. Or else.

Three time al-Jilani had interviewed Shepard. Three times it had blown up in her face. And Shepard's last 'bigot' accusation actually held water with others. Rivaling new stations pounced on her supposed 'xenophobic' interview with Shepard like varren over a fresh kill.

Now al-Jilani had essentially been demoted to reporting on mundane Citadel events, like the erection of a new hanar statue in the Presidium. Sufficed to say, al-Jilani did_ not _get her coveted position at Galaxy News.

Al-Jinali burned as Shepard happily chatted to her salarian companion. Some dark emotion in the reporter yearned have one last crack at that pretentious specter, to finally put Shepard in her place. But al-Jilani had dug herself a hole deeper than a thresher maw burrow, and she knew it. So, as Shepard walked by, with turian lover in tow, the reporter stayed hidden behind the large hanar statue.

* * *

Al-Jilani wasn't the only one in the Presidium who hid because of Shepard and her crew. Sidonis was just leaving the Presidium's Financial District, but dove into a slim alleyway as he saw Shepard and Garrus approach a nearby elevator.

He held his breath as he hid, and half expected to hear heavy turian footsteps and feel the hot fire of a slug from Garrus' rifle. Yet, by some miracle, he'd successfully hid from his old boss.

He poked his brown head out from the alleyway and watched the turian he'd come to fear so intensely nonchalantly stand about. As Shepard's crew waited for their elevator, Garrus seemed absorbed by some conversation between Shepard and a salarian. It was strange to see Garrus stand in public without relentlessly checking for hostiles; even when their squad on Omega was at their best, the turian always appeared cautious and wary.

Maybe Shepard was right, maybe Garrus wouldn't actively come after him, so long as he didn't give him reason to. And he wouldn't. He would be one of the few noble, upstanding citizens in all of Omega. He'd already contacted Ms. Blake, and even booked his transport to Omega from a respectable transport company in the Financial District as opposed to the more sketchy operations in the Wards. Sidonis knew that helping Omega's orphans would never make up for what he did, but maybe he could start to live with himself again.

Before he turned away, he heard Garrus bellow a pleased chortle. Sidonis then left with quickened steps towards his scheduled transport to Omega. He didn't want to give Garrus any reason to stop laughing.

* * *

"The council will see you in a moment," said a richly dressed asari, who strode up to Shepard as her group ascended the stairs to the council chambers.

Despite Sovereign's damage, the Presidium tower didn't look terribly different…which was, for Shepard, strange. After all, so much had happened in these halls. Her induction into the specters, Udina's sellout, her final fight with Saren… and, at this very spot, was the location where she'd first met Garrus.

Perhaps the turian sensed this too, for he turned towards her. He let his hand slide along Shepard's arm before resting upon her shoulder.

Thane saw this and smartly distracted the doctor. "So you believe it may be possible to cure my ailment?" he asked Mordin simply. The salarian happily took the bait, blabbing like Kelly after hearing a juicy piece of gossip. Thane took a few steps back to give Shepard and Garrus space, knowing that the salarian would follow.

After the two other aliens meandered a few steps away, Garrus tenderly spoke, allowing his hand to move upward and tickle Shepard's neck. "I wish we'd done this sooner. Us."

Shepard laughed. "Ha! Could you imagine if I came onto you two years ago? You probably would have run to the nearest escape pod before I could even mention the words 'blow off steam'."

"Oh, I don't know." His blue eyes were hypnotizing. "I always liked you, Shepard."

Shepard cocked her head playfully. "Why?"

He stepped closer towards her. "We have a lot in common."

Shepard looked amused. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Well, for starters...We both like to cause trouble and look good while doing it."

She too, came in closer, until their armor was touching. "Are you saying I look good?"

"Shepard, you're all I think about."

The asari woman returned, interrupting. "The council is ready for you."

"Are you ready, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm ready."

**-END**


End file.
